


ASPHODELUS

by hyosgardens, Kaminwh



Category: ONF (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Angst, Enemies to Friends, Fighting/Arguing, Gryffindor!Hyojin, Hufflepuff!Changyoon, Hufflepuff!Minkyun, Mentions of Blood, Ravenclaw!Yuto, Rivalry, Slytherin!Jaeyoung, Slytherin!Seungjun, hyoj best friends, jtion hate each other lol, kyunyoon best friends, mentions of dying, mentions of injury, mentions of nausea and sickness, some sort of magical hallucination, someone please help them, there's lots of yelling, true to his real form minkyun is still a catboy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:53:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 70,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25787650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hyosgardens/pseuds/hyosgardens, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaminwh/pseuds/Kaminwh
Summary: Changyoon turns seventeen and Minkyun invites everyone to the party. Including Changyoon’s rival, Lee Seungjun.
Comments: 48
Kudos: 66





	1. ACHERON, n. The River of Woe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and welcome to this new little fic~ I'm not here alone since there are two of us writing this, so all credits go to my dear Abi too <3 - Kami
> 
> Anyway, here is the first chapter of our ONF!Hogwarts fic that we hope you'll enjoy!

Unlike other students, Kim Hyojin loved Mondays. They meant two hours of Astronomy class and no Quidditch matches or training, which was a blessing considering the winter weather that had developed outside. Mondays also meant he had few assignments, and he could enjoy his day fully doing whatever he wanted. Not to mention that this was the last week before the holidays, and Gryffindor had played its last Quidditch match of the year already. Everything was going well, his classes were as interesting as always, and no one had decided to ruin his day. 

Yet.

So when Seungjun wandered into the Great Hall with undetermined substances on his green and black uniform and a mysterious smile on his face, Hyojin knew he was screwed. That his day was screwed. 

The blond-haired boy had the most awful timing. Hyojin was having a peaceful lunch with his housemates, discussing classes and exchanging stories no one really cared about. Seeing the younger Slytherin come into the Great Hall clearly searching for something (read: someone, most likely a red-haired Gryffindor prefect to solve his troubles), Hyojin prayed that Seungjun had just had a Potions lesson that went badly and could explain his pitiful state. 

Naturally, Hyojin tried to hide, turning away from the other boy and pretending he hadn’t noticed him obviously trying to catch his gaze. He continued eating as if it were nothing, but everyone else noticed Seungjun. 

“Hey Hyojin, I think Seungjun is looking for you.”

“I know,” he grumbled, annoyed. 

Not that he disliked Seungjun or anything. The pair had been friends for too long for him to do so, but the younger boy had become a thorn in Hyojin’s side, a notorious troublemaker, and Hyojin was now a prefect. Ten years of friendship didn’t prevent them from bickering publicly, and somehow things would always fall into place at Hyojin’s disadvantage. The fact that he knew Seungjun better than anyone else aside from his own parents made the other prefects act like Seungjun was Hyojin’s duty alone. Whenever the boy decided to bother someone–which was frequently, at least once a week, even during exam periods–Hyojin’s classmates would come to him and say: Seungjun did this, he went in that direction, _good luck,_ and Hyojin would have to catch his friend and send him to be punished. After a while, one of the most relieving feelings was when the Slytherin was occupied with something for a couple of hours. If he couldn’t cause problems on purpose, Hyojin didn’t have to worry.

Maybe that sounded odd to most people, how Seungjun and Hyojin could be the best of friends in one moment, yet Hyojin was ready to kill the younger by the end of the day. Well, maybe not to the point of murder, but he could at least lock him in a room with some Acromantulas for a few hours. This happened to be the nature of their chemistry, however: enjoying each other’s presence when Seungjun wasn’t in the mood to disturb other students, or playing some hide-and-seek game that Hyojin always won anyway. 

Before Hyojin had come to Hogwarts, he remembered Seungjun as the cute boy who had listened quite well and followed Hyojin everywhere. The two had been neighbors since childhood, becoming friends almost immediately with Seungjun’s persistent personality. When Seungjun joined him at Hogwarts a year later, the boy sought the attention of his peers, easily making friends until he decided that wasn’t enough. In his third year, Seungjun began to provoke chaos, inventing charms and potions to catch the attention of the older students (which worked). Hyojin, as much as he loved him, wished his friend would find another way to show off, exhausted from cleaning up the messes the younger left behind. He enjoyed the chaos, but from afar. Not when he was the one in charge of stopping it.

“Hyojin!” a familiar voice sing-songed. Hyojin sighed and scooted closer to one of his housemates, making room for the other beside him.

“Seungjun.”

“What’s wrong? Is your day going poorly?” asked the Slytherin. He settled himself onto the bench, getting comfortable, and started to take food from Hyojin’s plate.

“Not really, it’s been good _so far."_

Their eyes met for the first time, and subtle smirk appeared on Seungjun’s lips. Hyojin noticed that he had dirt on his face. He didn’t bother telling him.

“Tell me you ended up like this in a Potions class,” the prefect begged hopelessly. 

“I don’t have Potions on Mondays. Did you forget my schedule?” Seungjun was already hungrily eating his food and Hyojin sighed again.

“Take your time, the food won’t run away.”

“I don’t have time! I have so many things to do. And I have to wash up before class starts again.” 

Hyojin nodded and scrunched his nose. “Yah! You stink! Seriously, what did you do?”

Seungjun stopped eating for a moment and looked at him with his innocent puppy eyes. “Me? Nothing.”

“Ugh! Go away!”

“You’re breaking my heart,” Seungjun placed a hand over his chest and tilted his head back dramatically, “but I have to go anyway.” Standing up, he shot a wide grin at the older. “Bye!”

Hyojin only had time to blink before the blond-haired boy was out of sight. He was relieved for only a moment, realizing Seungjun was clearly planning a prank. Hyojin, selfishly, prayed he wasn't the target for once. He thought about following Seungjun, trying to stop him before he could do anything. He had tried once when he was a fourth-year, and it had turned out so badly that both of them had ended up in detention. A short story about being tricked into letting out a dozen Billywigs into the castle, in which Seungjun ended up levitating for two days and Hyojin was scolded for being the one to free the creatures without realising what they were. The worst (and also best) part of his punishment had been being in charge of taking care of the levitating Slytherin, which had been as much fun as it had been annoying. 

But now, as a prefect, Hyojin had a duty. He couldn’t help but worry for his friend’s next target, and (despite himself) for the safety of the said troublemaker. Sighing in defeat, Hyojin let his eyes wander towards the Slytherin table until he found who he was looking for. _Thank god._ He excused himself and got up, heading towards the other end of the hall.

When Shim Jaeyoung turned around, a big welcoming smile appeared on his face. 

“Hyojin-hyung! Hi! Do you need anything?”

“Hey, Jaeyoung,” Hyojin smiled back as best he could. “Yes, I need to know something.”

“Is it about Seungjun again?”

The _again_ almost made him laugh. Jaeyoung was a really kind person. Hyojin didn’t know him as well as Seungjun did, but he was the older Slytherin’s closest friend after Hyojin himself as they were roommates, classmates, and teammates. Hyojin always wondered how such a gentle and peaceful boy like Jaeyoung had ended up being friends with Seungjun. It seemed like Seungjun attracted people who were his opposite, and pushed away those with the same personality as him.

Hyojin remembered how Seungjun had come to him during his first year to present Jaeyoung to him. The two Slytherins had become friends easily. Now that the pair had fallen into their roles with Seungjun’s troublemaking and Jaeyoung’s friendship with approximately the entire school, they were seen less often together. But their bond was still strong, and it was shown especially during their Quidditch matches. Seungjun might have a childish and playful personality, but his talent and passion for Quidditch had allowed him to become the captain of the Slytherin team when he was only a fourth-year. He did a great job at leading his teammates, no one could deny it. Hyojin knew that Jaeyoung had helped Seungjun a lot at first. They made most of their strategies together, but Jaeyoung never showed any desire to be put in the spotlight. Hyojin had also heard rumours that Jaeyoung had declined the offer when his professors had asked him to become a prefect. He had always thought it was because Jaeyoung knew how tiring it was to be friends with the main problem-causer of the school.

Because of this, Jaeyoung was a strong pillar for Hyojin. They weren’t that close, but at least he felt that the younger boy could understand his struggle fully. Their own friendship had been gradual, accidental even. Hyojin loved the stars a lot, and often he would visit the Astronomy Tower after his duties at night. Once, he had entered the classroom after a particularly frustrating day to find Jaeyoung watching the starry ceiling alone. They had barely talked the first time. But then it happened a second time, and a third, and now Hyojin couldn’t remember the number of their midnight encounters. With time, they started to talk to each other more. Especially Hyojin, who wasn’t the kind to open up easily to new people. But somehow, Jaeyoung made him comfortable enough to share his concerns. Not only about Seungjun, but about his future and uncertainty about what it would become. Jaeyoung was a great listener, and his advice would appease Hyojin’s mind until their next meeting. Strangely, they never talked about it during the daytime. It was as if the Astronomy classroom became a liminal space whenever they were together.

“It is,” Hyojin laughed, a little exasperated. “Do you know why he was late for lunch and why he just left so quickly?”

Jaeyoung hummed and nodded. “Was he dirty?”

“He stank, too.”

“Oh, yeah I see. Well, that means he really does plan on attacking the Hufflepuff dorms then.”

 _"What?”_ Hyojin grew pale instantly. Curse Seungjun and his stupid rivalry.

“He was talking about doing something ambitious with a potion. Or stink pellets. You know how he is with his love for challenges. And he was excited, so he mentioned getting back at Changyoon for the last time they talked-”

Hyojin understood immediately. 

Potions. Prank.

_Shit._

“Thank you so much, Jaeyoung, I have to go now! See you!”

The last thing Hyojin heard before he was out of the Great Hall was, “Good luck, Hyung, you’ll need it!”

He had to think fast. If Jaeyoung was right, Seungjun could piss off an entire quarter of the school, or even more if it went too far too quickly. Seungjun was all strategy–he would set off his prank first, and then go and wash up to make sure he wasn’t suspected (even though he was always suspected, no matter the real culprit). Hyojin started to run towards the Hufflepuff dormitory, irritation flaring through his mind. 

Seungjun was a great friend, his best friend, and Hyojin would definitely die for him if he had to. But he was growing tired of the younger’s rebellious phase, wishing desperately that it would come to an end. Seungjun was in his fifth year already, and had to pass his first major exam in a few months, yet he continued to act immature and childish, which worried Hyojin a lot. Not that he disliked the fact that his friend was having fun, but after knowing Seungjun for ten years he sensed that it was deeper than what it seemed. Hyojin didn’t know what Seungjun was trying to cover up. 

He had wanted to have a serious conversation with Seungjun for months already, but he was scared. He didn’t even know what he was scared of, but he was definitely avoiding it. Seungjun too, but Hyojin would have to be the one to take initiative. He was older, he was the prefect, he was the one that was supposed to be more mature and responsible. But when it came to Seungjun, things were more complicated. Everything to do with Seungjun was more complicated. 

He finally reached the dorm out of breath, panting as he looked frantically down the corridor. It was a pity Changyoon wasn’t a Ravenclaw so Hyojin would be sure Seungjun couldn’t enter their dorm. But with Hufflepuff it was different, easy simply if you knew the trick. Having one Hufflepuff friend was enough to learn which barrel to tap to pass through. 

As he entered the opening to the dormitory, a frisson of danger made him pull out his wand. The second he took a step into the common room, a loud _Immobulus!_ came from his left, which Hyojin countered in a quick movement.

“Oh, hello Hyojin.”

“You _attacked_ me?”

“Attack is a strong word for a little _Immobulus,_ don’t you think?” Seungjun asked as he stood from behind a sofa he had been hiding behind a few moments earlier. 

Hyojin hummed. “Then you won’t mind if I’m the one immobilizing you, hm?”

A smirk appeared on Seungjun’s face and Hyojin understood immediately that his friend took that as a challenge. Hyojin wasn’t the type to refuse a duel. He moved slowly towards the center of the huge, plant-filled room. Seungjun had planned this well. No one was there to see them. The two intruders slowly circled each other, eyes locked on one another.

“What did you do?”

“You’ll see soon enough.”

“Or I’ll force you to tell me.” Hyojin cast a nonverbal _Expelliarmus._ Seungjun dodged easily. 

“You’re so predictable, please, we know each other too well.” His voice was light, like he was amused.

“What was the score again?” Hyojin gave him a smile. Seungjun shrugged with a pout, pretending he didn’t know.

“Let me remind you then,” Hyojin smirked. “I’m winning with twenty-six points. And you have _twenty-four._ ”

Seungjun whined, “That’s only because you know more spells! It’s not fair!”

“If you think you’re good enough to beat me, then I won’t use any sixth-year spells. Is that better?”

Seungjun didn’t answer for a few seconds, but his eyes sparkled a little more when he finally nodded. 

Then, without warning, Hyojin attacked him. Seungjun let out a huff, dodging the spell by a few centimeters. The real fight had begun. 

Hyojin watched his friend slow his step and blocked the next two attacks without struggle. What Seungjun said was true; they knew each other so well that Hyojin could sometimes read Seungjun’s intentions from the look in his eyes. People didn’t say they were connected for nothing. Hyojin genuinely believed there had always been something between him and Seungjun. Not something like fate, or love, or anything like that. It was something that he _felt_ and could only be experienced, not described. But it had its cons; their fights could last hours without a winner. Their current record was from the summer holidays when Hyojin was in third year and Seungjun in second. They wanted to practice, and their duel had lasted for nearly four hours. Seungjun had won in the end, but Hyojin was sure he had gotten so distracted by his growling stomach that he wasn’t able to focus anymore. So dueling with Seungjun was the hardest exercise of all; it was not only about being innovative, it was about reading each other’s minds better than the other, and being able to trick his friend when he was one of the best spellcasters of his year. 

Fighting inside of a dorm was even more improper, especially as they had to be careful about the furniture. Duels were against the rules, and having one in a dormitory that wasn’t even theirs when Hyojin was a prefect was the dumbest thing he had done in a while. He had to end this quickly, he had to be clever and stop Seungjun before either of them made a mistake. His day had been going well so far, and it was not going to stop here.

He decided then that the most unexpected thing he could do was fight directly without much consideration, as Hyojin was typically one to deliberate over being careful and strategic. Seungjun seemed surprised as he defended himself from the six following advances, until he dodged the final one by squatting and hit Hyojin with an _Expelliarmus_ the older hadn’t anticipated.

But the red-haired boy didn’t have time to get his wand back.

His last spell, the one Seungjun had successfully avoided, had ended up in the corridor leading to the boys’ dormitory. He hadn’t even noticed that the door was opened, but now viscous deep blue and purple liquid was dripping from the walls. And it was _fast,_ the strange matter starting to flood towards them as its quantity increased.

_“Run!”_

Hyojin snatched his wand from the floor just as Seungjun caught his wrist and led them outside of the common room. The younger didn’t stop when they reached the corridor and continued to run, refusing to let go of Hyojin’s arm. The prefect was processing what had happened and what was happening slowly, glad to have been able to pick up his wand before getting away. As they reached the moving staircases, Seungjun began to slow so Hyojin could keep up. They bolted up the stairs. Hyojin glanced at his friend and their eyes met, a grin already forming on the blond’s face. A moment later they were shouting with laughter and had to stop running, walking quickly like they were the only people alive.

And Hyojin _felt_ it.

Seungjun had unwittingly led them to the Astronomy Tower, pulling open the door and pushing Hyojin inside. The room was empty, luckily, and as the door shut behind them they finally began to calm. 

“What was that?” Hyojin interrogated.

 _"That_ was a genius idea of mine. A superb potion charmed with some ingenious spells.” Seungjun dropped onto a chair a few meters away and they stared at each other, friendly smiles on both faces. 

“But it failed because of you. I knew it was unstable, but not to the point that a spell going near it would activate it.”

“So it’s _my_ fault now?”

“Well, technically, yes. I mean, if the professors follow the magic signature, yours would be the strongest,” Seungjun explained with an amused grin. 

“Why did you do that?” whined the older. Hyojin couldn’t deny that being on the opposite side for once was fun. But only this once, of course.

“Because it’s fun and it’s a good way to practice, isn’t it?”

“A very annoying way. You know we’ll have to explain everything to the professors, right?”

Seungjun immediately pouted and his sad, puppy-like face made Hyojin want to reach out and pet his hair.

“We have no choice. At least you won’t be alone in detention, for once.”

The younger boy smiled. “Hey, it’s your second time being in detention, isn’t that a record for a prefect?”

Hyojin rolled his eyes at his friend’s satisfaction. “Then I’ll just denounce you. Is that what you want?”

“Well, it won’t change anything for me. I’m sure you’ll be the one assigned to watch me anyway and you always stay for the whole punishment when you don’t have to.”

Seungjun made a point here. It was one of the things Hyojin didn’t dislike, to be honest. Being alone with his best friend was quite relaxing and it reminded him why he cherished this friendship more than any other. They would chat for hours, Seungjun doing his punishment while Hyojin watched him from afar. They would laugh, talk about their own struggles with school life, help each other understand magical concepts. It was the calm after the storm.

“Then I won’t help you, even if I’m in detention too.”

“As if you helped me last time anyway. I had to sort books alone for five hours when it could have taken us only two if you helped me!”  
  
Hyojin laughed at the complaint and grinned with confidence. “It was your fault, I don’t know why I would do anything.”

Seungjun mumbled an “unfair” under his breath as he crossed his legs beneath him.

“You still didn’t tell me what your prank was. What does the...liquid do?”

“It’s not dangerous or anything,” his friend reassured him, “but if you touch it, it’ll stick to you for days and since I used stink pellets… Basically it sticks and it stinks. I tried to make it unwashable with some charms but I don’t think they worked. The professors will be able to clean everything up.”

Hyojin nodded slowly. Even if his friend’s ingenuity was used to prank people and create disorder, he couldn’t deny that Seungjun was good when it came to potions. It was a pity that the boy didn’t study a bit more so that he could easily major in the subject.

“And why the Hufflepuff dorm?” Hyojin already knew the answer.

“Oh, you know. Always the same. Remember last week?”

How could he forget? Lee Changyoon had hit Seungjun with a Hair-Thickening charm. Their never-ending revenge schemes were the weekly entertainment of the castle, and seeing Seungjun with long hair had been a beautiful sight that made Hyojin cry of laughter. The poor Slytherin had refused to go to class until his hair was back to normal. Hyojin had volunteered himself to help him cut his hair, and it had turned out a bit shorter than usual, which wasn’t actually bad, accentuating the Slytherin’s sharp features. 

“Yes, but you know… you have a match against Hufflepuff this week. Didn’t you plan on training with Jaeyoung today?”

Seungjun blinked and opened his mouth as the realization hit him. _“Oh shit.”_

Hyojin rolled his eyes in exasperation. Seungjun was usually a very good leader, but when his childish emotions took control, he became clumsy in his choices and easily distracted.

“Hyojin?”

The puppy dog eyes were back.

“Can you please help me defend myself? If I surrender, they’ll lighten my sentence, right?”

Hyojin faked his reflexion with an exaggerated _hmm let me think about it,_ looking at the ceiling and tapping at his chin with a finger. He was way too weak to say no to his friend anyway, and defending Seungjun was also the best way to defend himself.

“Only if you promise me you’ll stop causing problems for the rest of the week.”

“Deal,” the younger boy grinned.

“Should we go now then?” Hyojin asked, standing up.

“As long as I’m able to practice today!”

꧁꧂

Lee Changyoon picked at his lunch and glanced at Minkyun sitting beside him, happily shoveling as much food as he could fit into his mouth. Changyoon had an ominous feeling about today. He watched the hall absently, observing the groups of students sitting at the four tables around him. The general atmosphere was cheerful with anticipation for the coming holidays, despite the grey afternoon outside.

His friend’s cheeks puffed out for a moment before he finished his mouthful and set his fork down. One of the castle’s ghosts was across the table from them, observing with mild disgust on his face. Minkyun’s yellow and black tie was undone around his neck and his matching scarf was discarded on the floor, unsurprisingly. Changyoon’s own clothes were in order, minus the scarf he had regretfully left in their dorm this morning. 

The pair had become roommates in Changyoon’s third year. He had walked into his room on the evening of their arrival to be greeted with extra luggage and a lanky first-year Park Minkyun sitting on the bed opposite his, which had previously been unoccupied. Rooming error, they had guessed, but neither of them had the heart to report it. 

Changyoon was used to the chaos Minkyun brought with him, from sneaking out every night to being discovered in the Owlery trying to train the birds to play with toys meant for cats. The two got along very well despite their age difference (Minkyun was now a fourth-year while Changyoon was in his sixth year already), and Changyoon would do anything for the younger boy. Minkyun was bright and cheerful and almost always wore a smile. He knew all of the cats in the castle by name at the end of his first year at Hogwarts. Minkyun had wormed his way into Changyoon’s life with no remorse, fitting into the empty spaces like they were left for him. Changyoon had had friends before, but none like Minkyun. While the pair excelled at different subjects—Changyoon with Herbology and Minkyun with Care of Magical Creatures—they bonded over their disastrous Potions record and often studied together. 

Changyoon was staring blankly at the entrance to the Great Hall when his gaze landed on a particular student entering the room. His mouth twisted with distaste as he watched Lee Seungjun find his way to the Gryffindor table with the irritating bounce in his step that could only be his. The boy had been the sole antagonist of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team for the past two years, especially when he became captain the previous year, and in turn singled out Changyoon himself. The two had been at each other’s throats for anything and everything, especially as the Slytherin turned to pranks and ridiculous charms to infuriate Changyoon and his teammates. 

Changyoon aimed a glare at the side of Seungjun’s head.

“Yuto!” Minkyun called loudly, drawing Changyoon’s attention away from the Gryffindor table. The small Ravenclaw flushed when people turned to glance at them curiously. Minkyun patted the bench between him and Changyoon and Yuto rushed to sit down. The trio had become friends a week after the new term started when Minkyun had crossed paths with Yuto and literally dragged him to be introduced to Changyoon. The Ravenclaw was shy at first, but had soon warmed up to the two Hufflepuffs as he got used to their constant presence, and eventually he became more talkative. He had transferred from a wizarding school in Japan during his second year and had graduated that year quietly at Hogwarts. Now, as a third-year, he had two friends to keep him company. 

“Okay,” Minkyun started. There was an excited smile on his face as he shifted to straddle the bench so he could look at his two friends. “We should have a party.”

“A party?” Yuto echoed. He was petting at his hair, trying to fix it after the wind outside had blown it around. “Why?”

“For Changyoon’s birthday,” Minkyun explained, and Yuto turned to look at the boy in surprise.

“Your birthday is soon? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Changyoon stared back at him blankly for a second, realizing that _oh,_ it really was his birthday soon. “I forgot,” he said simply.

For some reason, this made the third-year smile. “A party sounds like fun.”

“We’ll have to bend some rules about the Kitchens, and if you want people from other houses there—oh, who should we invite? We’ll probably break curfew-”

Changyoon glanced back towards the Gryffindor table thoughtlessly, tuning out Minkyun’s stream of consciousness for a moment. His rival was now gone, but Kim Hyojin was nowhere to be seen either. Instead, Changyoon found him standing at the Slytherin table, distress clear on his face as he talked to their Quidditch team’s Beater. Shim Jaeyoung said something with a sorry smile and panic flit across the Gryffindor’s face in an instant before he nodded and turned to run out of the Great Hall.

“Changyoon?” Minkyun was looking at him expectantly.

“Oh, sorry.” Changyoon listened as his friend restated their plans, Yuto nodding along every so often. The pair were clearly excited, and Changyoon had a hard time saying no to them anyway, so he agreed to go along with them. Classes would be finished by the end of the week for the holidays and most of the castle would be heading back home to spend time with their families. Thinking about having the Hufflepuff dormitory to himself and some friends sent a spark of eagerness through Changyoon’s body. It would be the first time in a while his birthday would feel so special.

It was unusual for his friends to want to break the rules, especially with how shy Yuto was and how amicable Minkyun was with the professors. That the pair would do such a thing for him, even if it was simply taking a few of his favorite foods from the Kitchens and inviting the trio’s small group of their friends past curfew, left Changyoon in a brighter mood than he had been earlier. 

The time came for his friends to split up as the space in their schedules allotted for their lunch period began to end. They walked together to the entrance of the Great Hall before Yuto waved cheerily to the pair of Hufflepuffs and headed towards Ravenclaw Tower with quick footsteps. Changyoon followed Minkyun towards their own dormitory in a similar fashion, chatting idly between themselves. 

They were stopped by a terrible pungent smell outside of the Kitchens. 

“What-” Changyoon started. _Oh,_ he realized.

The pair stared at a deep purplish-blue substance pooling on the floor outside of the Hufflepuff common room. The barrel door was stuck wide open, like someone had left in a haste and forgotten to close it behind them. The closer they got to it, the worse the smell became, and Changyoon had to stop breathing from his nose to avoid its stench.

“What _is_ this?” Minkyun asked, bending down for a closer look. Without warning he went to touch it, and Changyoon exclaimed in alarm. 

“Minkyun!” he scolded, but it was too late. His friend had touched the strange liquid and drawn his hand back in surprise, bringing its shocking purple color with it on his fingertips. 

“What the _hell?”_ He tried to rub it off, the color only spreading onto his clothes. “Changyoon, help me,” he whined.

“I can’t! How am I supposed to get it off?”  
  
“I don’t know!”

Changyoon watched the substance slowly spread outwards in despair. It was clearly charmed to stain, and the pathway to the common room was completely blocked. They could risk ruining their robes or be late for their next class. 

Suddenly Changyoon remembered the distress on Kim Hyojin’s face and his rush to get out of the Great Hall. Stepping backwards as the substance bled dangerously close to his shoes, he realized something. _Lee Seungjun._ He scowled. Of course.

It wasn’t until he heard the voices of his professor and someone else that he looked up to meet the stare of the boy in question, standing next to his best friend with a guilty look on his features. Changyoon returned his gaze steadily, keeping his face blank as he listened to Kim Hyojin plead with the professor. Minkyun huffed beside him, watching the pair warily.

“-was trying to stop him but I didn’t know what he planned so I set it off by accident, I’m so sorry Professor, I should have been more careful with my spells, I’ll take your punishment willingly just please don’t punish Seungjun too harshly-”

“That is enough, Mr. Kim. Both of you will find a way to clean this up and will serve detention until you do so.” The professor looked across the pool of liquid at Changyoon and Minkyun and sighed as he noticed the stains on Minkyun’s clothes. “Both of you are excused from your next classes.” Turning back to Hyojin and Seungjun he declared, “Ten points from Gryffindor and twenty from Slytherin. Follow me, we shall see to your detention.”

Changyoon watched them go with a small feeling of satisfaction before turning and making eye contact with Minkyun. They started to laugh at the strangeness of it all.

“Why is it always him?” Minkyun commented as they began to walk away. Changyoon sighed in response.

“I think he just hates me.”

꧁꧂

As his Charms professor announced the end of the last class of the day, Yuto hurriedly tidied his things. Today was the final day before the Christmas holidays, but also the day of an important Quidditch match between Hufflepuff and Slytherin. Yuto had never played the sport, but he loved watching it and would never dream of missing a match. He nodded goodbye to his professor and left the classroom, immediately spotting the tall, black-haired Hufflepuff waiting for him.

“Hi, Minkyun-hyung!” the third-year greeted his friend as he reached his side. 

Minkyun smiled widely at him, his dimples creating deep indents in his cheeks. “Hey, Yuto, how was your day? I brought some bread for you.”

Yuto brightened at the mention of his favorite food. It had become their simple ritual over time, Minkyun coming to meet Yuto before a Quidditch match and bringing bread with him, then going to the pitch together. Yuto had no idea how Minkyun always made it in time to be waiting for him when he knew that the older boy had a class as well. His dedication made Yuto happy.

He had first encountered Minkyun early in the school year in the hectic rush of students trying to learn their schedules. There was such a small chance of the older boy remembering him, Yuto wasn’t even sure how he had the second time they saw each other. Yuto himself had forgotten about the incident until Minkyun had come up to him during the same week and greeted him with a large smile like they were already friends. If he tried hard enough, Yuto could vaguely remember a cheerful Hufflepuff boy pointing him in the right direction. He could ask Minkyun about it as he was sure his friend would remember, but he didn’t want to show him that he had forgotten such an important day in their friendship.

Yuto had always been on the quieter side, invisible in his classes and listening more than he spoke with his friends. In his previous school, he had had a good reputation and he was respected by his classmates, yet he had still been frequently alone. But coming to Hogwarts last year had complicated his school life. He wasn’t fluent in English yet, even if he was improving quite quickly, and he struggled at times to keep up with his peers. He had truly expected to be alone here as well, finishing his second year without a single new friend. However, somehow the personification of _loud_ became his first friend, and Park Minkyun continued to appear by his side until he was eventually introduced to Lee Changyoon as well. Yuto considered himself lucky.

“Should we head out?”

Yuto answered with a nod and they began to walk through the corridors, talking about their respective days. 

“How is your dorm? Is the smell completely gone yet?”

“Yeah, finally. It was funny that the professors struggled to understand how to make it disappear, even with Seungjun’s help. There’s still some stains on the floor.”

Yuto laughed as he imagined Seungjun, distressed, as he tried his best to make up for the mess he created. Yuto hadn’t had the chance to witness the prank by himself, but it had been the school’s main topic of gossip since it had happened. Despite this, Changyoon and Minkyun complained about it to Yuto on their own. Minkyun would have found it pretty funny, had the smell not frightened away all the cats from the dorm. Changyoon had continued to complain about the entire existence of Lee Seungjun and prayed that a miracle would make the boy disappear from his life. 

The past few days had been stressful. On top of this, the boys had to start planning for Changyoon’s birthday party, as well as finding each other gifts for Christmas. Yuto couldn’t go back to Japan during the holidays, but he was glad that Minkyun and Changyoon were staying to keep him company.

“How is Changyoon feeling for this match?”

“He’s determined. He worked a lot on their new strategy last night. I think he’s planning on getting revenge by winning.” 

Yuto hummed. It was obvious that Changyoon was getting tired of the never-ending distractions from Seungjun as his worries about the N.E.W.T. exams were growing. He seemed similar to Seungjun at a glance, but he agonized over details greatly and cared about his surroundings far more than necessary. These feelings ended up manifesting in the form of stress and anxiety, things that Changyoon was awful at managing. 

“I hope no one gets hurt this time.”

The matches between Slytherin and Hufflepuff were always...hectic. The teams had become new rivals in recent years, which had forced their players to try ambitious and risky moves. Within two years it had gotten to the point that the Quidditch professor had to talk to both leaders in private to warn them to turn down the heat. Their matches were the most anticipated of the four Houses, and Yuto and Minkyun always had to hurry up in order to find a good seat before the start.

When they left the castle, the cold wind made Yuto shiver and he wrapped his arms around himself. The snow had stopped falling that morning, but the landscape was still covered by a very pretty layer of white. Yuto liked the snow. He liked how it was one of the most effective ways to create happy memories with friends, and how it could make people smile just by watching snowflakes fall. 

“You forgot your scarf?” scolded Minkyun, blowing on his hands to warm them. 

“You forgot your gloves?” Yuto retorted teasingly, amused.

Minkyun laughed a bit and untied his scarf before wrapping it around Yuto’s neck. The scarf was way too big for the small boy and covered his face up to his nose. 

“Why are you giving it to me?” Yuto’s voice was smothered by the thick, warm fabric. 

“I’m not cold. Let’s go,” Minkyun stated simply. He patted Yuto’s head before starting to walk again, the younger following quickly behind him. 

Yuto wasn’t stupid. He knew that Minkyun was lying, that he was cold but had decided to stay quiet. He simply appreciated the kindness of his friend, hoping that he wouldn’t get sick because of it. He knew that Changyoon would have scolded both of them and would have been the one giving his scarf to Yuto if he were with them, and the thought made Yuto smile. Even if they were all from different years, Yuto cherished their bond. He couldn’t spend all his time with the older boys, but when they were together he felt comfortable and liked. He really was grateful for them. 

Yuto observed Minkyun’s face, his cheeks and nose red because of the threatening weather, the way his black hair was being pushed messily across his forehead because of the strong wind. How his eyes were as bright as always and his smile friendly, as it was his usual expression. Yuto had the strange desire to fill up his dimples with snow. He told himself to try the next time they were going to have a snowball fight all together with Changyoon. 

When they finally reached the stadium, Yuto followed Minkyun up to their usual seats. They weren’t the first people there, but the benches had just started to be filled and they had a while to wait before the start of the match. Yuto felt his excitement grow and his eyes wandered onto the empty pitch. In a few minutes, the buzzing atmosphere would take a turn into chaos, and he couldn’t wait to watch his friends playing against one another. 

“Here you go.”

A roll of bread appeared on his lap. He turned to Minkyun who was smiling gently.

“Thank you, Hyung.” He lowered the scarf around his neck to his chin and took a bite of the steaming bread. It was as hot as he had expected but Yuto couldn’t restrain his happiness as he slowly savoured his favorite food. Minkyun ruffled his hair, a gesture that seemed to have become a habit of the Hufflepuff, but Yuto didn’t mind. 

As more students started to gather in the stadium, Yuto could hear people bet on who would win the highest scoring. He himself wasn’t really sure what would happen—the Slytherin team was leading the tournament, but they always struggled more against Hufflepuff’s team, who definitely had the will to win this match after what Seungjun had done to their dorm. As much as Seungjun was a great Seeker, Changyoon was a talented Chaser who had once led his team in beating the Slytherins, even though Seungjun had caught the Golden Snitch first that day. That experience had traumatised the entire Slytherin team and when Seungjun became Captain the next year, their strategy entirely changed to prevent it from happening again. Last year’s tournament was what made Yuto truly enjoy Quidditch, and now that he had a friend to share his passion with, he couldn’t be happier.

“Who are you cheering for today?” Minkyun asked the moment Yuto was done eating. 

“I don’t know. Maybe Hufflepuff, since Slytherin are the ones leading.”

“Good choice!” the Hufflepuff said merrily. “I want Changyoon to win since his birthday is soon. That would be a great first gift.”

Yuto nodded as he realized once more how caring Minkyun could be. It was his first time meeting someone so selfless, and he was often admiring his friend’s big heart.

They didn’t have to wait much longer for the stadium to be filled and for the two teams to enter the pitch. He and Minkyun immediately cheered for their friend, yet Yuto couldn’t help but to encourage some Slytherins too. He was glad Changyoon couldn’t hear him, or he would have felt bad for cheering for the enemy. He had only told Minkyun about his new friends, afraid of exasperating the elder Hufflepuff. 

The match started quickly with the first goal scored by Hufflepuff, as expected from Changyoon. As good as the Slytherin team was, especially with Jaeyoung’s skill as a Beater, their strategy primarily focused on the Golden Snitch. The Hufflepuffs had better overall teamwork and were more balanced, but their lack of concern for the Snitch indeed put them at a disadvantage.

Today, something felt different. Hufflepuff was scoring much faster than usual and their defense was good enough to maintain the gap between the two scores. After a while, Yuto realized that Changyoon had not only changed the formation of the team, but had decided to focus on keeping Jaeyoung away from himself as much as possible. As soon as the Quaffle was in their hands, Hufflepuff almost never let it go until they scored. Yuto couldn’t help but admire how clever Changyoon had been to find a solution to their primary weakness. 

The score was now 150-20 in favor of Hufflepuff. It was then Yuto realized another of Slytherin’s problems: their Captain was the Seeker, and Seungjun had been focused on the Snitch since the beginning of the game, leaving his team to deal with their opponents without direction. He couldn’t even request a timeout as he didn’t know what was happening. If Hufflepuff were able to increase the gap just a little more, they would be sure to win even if Seungjun caught the Snitch. However, when Yuto found him again, the blond Slytherin was already chasing after the tiny ball. A second later, the entire stadium was standing up, trying to follow him as he flew across the sky. 

Yuto glanced at Changyoon, who was ordering his two Beaters to stop the other team’s Seeker. The match turned completely as the focus became Seungjun, and both teams fought valiantly to protect him or make him fail. 

Suddenly, the boy made a sharp turn, brushing the neat lawn with his broom as he whipped towards the opposite direction. The Hufflepuff Seeker had been trying to catch up to him for some time already, but Seungjun was known for his perfect broom control, allowing him to follow the Snitch without much difficulty. 

But Yuto noticed something weird. Seungjun had been the same distance from the Snitch for a few seconds already, meaning he was not accelerating anymore. He could have ended the game already, but for some reason he had decided not to.

That’s when he _jumped._

The stadium collectively gasped and Yuto yelled out in surprise. Seungjun hit the ground and rolled pitifully for five or six meters before finally stopping. His teammates were already rushing towards their Captain when the blond boy sat up and lifted his arm, holding his golden target victoriously. The entire stadium went crazy, the commentator shouting the name of the Slytherin, announcing their victory by his incredible move. 

_LEE SEUNGJUN HAS CAUGHT THE GOLDEN SNITCH!_

Yuto finally closed his mouth and slowly turned to Minkyun. They shared a confused look before focusing on Changyoon. From afar, he didn’t seem troubled by what had happened and was already consoling his teammates for their defeat.

“What a match,” Yuto stated.

His heart was pounding hard and he truly had been scared for Seungjun. But he couldn’t deny that he had offered them quite a show, and Yuto admired his courage. If he hadn’t caught the Golden Snitch, it would have led to the defeat of his team. The move had been a fifty-fifty risk, but Seungjun had known what he was doing. At least, Yuto hoped so. 

“Changyoon will hate that,” sighed Minkyun, scrunching his nose.

Yuto simply nodded, not really knowing if Minkyun was right. Changyoon was a Quidditch enthusiast as much as Yuto was, and he couldn’t deny that this move was incredible. Quite ridiculous too, but that was what made it a genius idea. Not just anyone could do it. 

“Shall we?”

Yuto nodded and followed Minkyun down the steps of the stadium. Everyone around them was praising Seungjun and he could already imagine the party the Slytherins would hold later to celebrate this victory. The young Ravenclaw couldn’t help but to feel proud. He knew he should have been a little bitter, at least for Changyoon, but the whole match was replaying in his head, and he knew Seungjun’s bold jump would end up being the highlight of the year’s tournament. 

The two friends stopped outside of the pitch, waiting for their friend as they usually did after each match. There, a red-haired boy with white earmuffs and a pair of thin glasses was tapping his foot on the ground, distressed. Yuto’s eyes met with his and they simply nodded to each other as a salutation. The Gryffindor prefect was seemingly waiting for his best friend, and it was not the first time he, Minkyun, and Yuto had been together in that position. Neither Yuto nor Minkyun were close with Kim Hyojin, and Yuto was glad that Minkyun always had something to say or he would have felt uncomfortable. 

“Should we play a game later? So that Changyoon can forget what happened and have some fun?” Minkyun was playing with his scarf, tying a knot on top of Yuto’s head like he was a little present.

“Yes! I want to,” Yuto agreed. 

“Good! And if you stay after curfew, you can always sleep with us anyway.”

Yuto nodded in excitement. He loved whenever Changyoon and Minkyun asked him to spend the night with them, playing games until Yuto started falling asleep and Minkyun and Changyoon argued over whose bed he would sleep in. It was the most effective way for Yuto to feel included in their little group. To feel that he was not an intruder or too young to be friends with them as he might have thought at first, when Minkyun had started to bring Yuto with them whenever he could.

Yuto turned around as he heard voices. The Slytherin team was just coming out of their locker room, chatting happily. Yuto smiled and immediately ran towards them, and Seungjun had just enough time to open his arms to hug the younger one rushing at him.

“Wow! Hi Yuto, how was the match? Did you have fun?”

“Hyung! You scared me but your last move was incredible!” complimented the Ravenclaw. He laughed as Seungjun lifted him a little and swung him gently back and forth. 

A big hand came to ruffle Yuto’s hair and he looked up to smile at Jaeyoung. 

“Hyung, you did amazing too! Congratulations on your win!”

“Thanks Yuto. I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

“Yah, Lee Seungjun!” 

Every eye turned to Kim Hyojin, who was storming towards them with quick, angry steps.

“Hyojin!” Seungjun called enthusiastically. The Slytherin gave Yuto a back hug, putting his chin on the Ravenclaw’s head, and the younger boy couldn’t help but think that his friend was using him as a shield.

“Do you think I’m blind? That move was completely mindless and you think you can get away without telling anyone you hurt yourself?” 

Yuto glanced upwards, trying to catch Seungjun’s expression without success. He shared a look with Jaeyoung, who simply shrugged. 

Hyojin pulled Seungjun’s wrist from Yuto’s waist and Yuto gasped seeing the purple and blue color around it. It was indeed not a little injury, and Seungjun must have been hiding his pain since the end of the game.

“Hyung…!” Yuto complained, understanding why the Gryffindor was mad at his friend.

Hyojin took out his wand and muttered a _Ferula,_ making bandages strap tightly around the wound. 

“Thanks,” Seungjun said simply.

“Don’t thank me, you stupid little pumpkin—we have to go to the infirmary now. Seriously, why didn’t you tell the professors or your teammates when they came to check on you?”

Seungjun opened his mouth to answer when Jaeyoung interrupted them.

“Hyojin-hyung, you’re scaring the kid.”

Yuto flushed. He couldn’t deny that the prefect had always been intimidating to him, and seeing him yell at his best friend hadn’t improved his first impression. He was glad for Minkyun’s scarf, which felt like his own shield here, and Seungjun felt warm and comfortable wrapped around him.

Hyojin sighed but his expression remained dissatisfied.

“Let him go, Seungjun.”

Seungjun unwound his arms from Yuto, patting his head before following Hyojin off the field. He could hear the Gryffindor complain about Seungjun’s outfit and how he would catch a cold just before the holidays if he wasn’t more careful. An arm came to wrap around Yuto’s shoulder and he looked up at Jaeyoung.

“Don’t mind them, it’s how they always act. Hyojin-hyung is just showing him that he cares in his special way.”

Yuto nodded in understanding. He wondered how Seungjun could just smile through everything, like he never had problems or worries. Even when he was in pain, he didn’t show anything but playfulness and laughter. It was admirable, but also worrying. Yuto wasn’t as close to Seungjun as he was to Jaeyoung, but he was slowly learning his strange idiosyncrasies. Seungjun felt like one of the most reliable people Yuto had ever encountered, but that seemed to be the opposite of how Kim Hyojin perceived his own best friend. Seungjun seemed to be a whole different person depending on who he was interacting with. He sighed and rested his head against Jaeyoung’s arm.

“Yuto?”

The boy froze and turned to face Changyoon. The confused expression on his friend’s face kind of made Yuto feel guilty. He let go of Jaeyoung’s embrace to walk towards him, Minkyun following behind.

“Hyung! It was amazing, your new strategy was so clever!” Yuto desperately wanted to draw attention away from the Slytherins.

Changyoon’s eyes flicked from Yuto to Jaeyoung, and then to Hyojin and Seungjun already walking away before landing back on the smaller boy.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t make such a face,” Minkyun elbowed him gently. “You did great. It was your best game so far.”

“But it wasn’t enough,” grumbled the older in an annoyed voice.

“Hey, don’t take it personally. You didn’t need to avenge anyone here. It wasn’t like the whole house was counting on you or something,” the younger tried.

Changyoon only sighed as an answer and Yuto awkwardly patted his back. 

“I’m fine. Just exhausted, don’t worry.”

Yuto could tell that he wasn’t lying, but something seemed to be bothering him. Changyoon was the type to feel regret for days when something didn’t go his way, and Yuto and Minkyun exchanged a worried glance.

“Then you have to rest. What about a night playing Exploding Snap?”

“That doesn’t sound like resting to me.” 

“Don’t be so dense! Come on, you can’t say no to that and you know it.”

Changyoon sighed once again but finally showed a little smile.

"Okay, okay, let's go."

As the trio started to head back to the castle, Yuto examined Changyoon's face. It was obvious that he was still thinking about what had happened and he probably blamed himself for his team's defeat. Even though Minkyun was good at handling a conversation alone, Yuto could tell that he was doing his very best to avoid awkward silence. 

"How did you become friends with them?" Changyoon interrupted Minkyun. There wasn't just curiosity in his question.

Yuto deflated, trying to remember the start of his friendship with the Slytherins. He had tried to not shove it directly in Changyoon's face, but he couldn't escape the truth forever and it felt wrong for him to hide something that made him so happy anyway.

"Jaeyoung-hyung saved my life. I was lost somewhere in the castle and he found me, and then we kept meeting and he kept helping me,” Yuto explained. Changyoon seemed unhappy. “And one day he was helping me with my homework and Seungjun-hyung came looking for him and tried to help me too. Jaeyoung-hyung introduced us and told him that I was his fan so we talked about Quidditch a lot. They always have been nice to me."

Though Yuto tried to show how he enjoyed his friendship with them, Changyoon’s expression remained troubled.

"Be careful, okay? If he can hurt himself without a care then he could hurt others like that, too."

Yuto nodded without really meaning it. He had faith in Seungjun’s character and he knew that the older boy was fond of him. His relationship with Jaeyoung was steadier and seemed to bother Changyoon less, but even if Seungjun brought out a new side in Yuto, he didn't think that it would be harmful. Yuto loved all of his friends and would never change his current daily life, even if he could.

His only wish was to see both sides finally stop hating each other. Not even for them to become friends, but for a neutral relationship that would allow Yuto to feel more comfortable seeing them all. He was tired of feeling guilty as he switched between the two groups.

He thought about this quietly as he walked beside his friends. Maybe he should try to make them get along. What’s the worst that could happen?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it for now~ We already have the whole plot planned so if we take some time posting the next chapter it's because we died because of the comeback,, 
> 
> Anyway, you can come and find Kami on twitter @Kaminwh, we would love talking to you about this~
> 
> See you soon!


	2. COCYTUS, n. The River of Wailing, Lamentation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are back after a while with the second chapter! It's kinda a long one so have fun reading it~

The winter holidays had just begun and already Minkyun was on a mission. The classrooms were empty and his footsteps echoed slightly as he passed through the corridors deep in thought. He needed to speak to as many people as possible before the day ended, and he was the only one for the job, as Yuto had said. 

_"Hyung, if you really want to invite everyone, then you should be the one to try it.”_

He hoped he was right. 

Minkyun was desperate to have the party of the year for Changyoon, who deserved to relax after the stress the first semester of school always brought. The older boy was always doing something or helping someone, and it had taken a toll on him recently with the impending threat of his exams. Minkyun just wanted his friend to rest. 

There weren’t many students staying at the school for the winter holidays, allowing Minkyun to easily pick and choose from his classmates. He had already talked to a few people who had agreed on coming this morning, and he was off to his next target. 

It was fairly easy to find the students he needed, as he could ask the school’s ghosts for their whereabouts. Minkyun had befriended many of the spirits during his first and second year while he had explored the castle secretly, searching for hidden spaces. His curiosity had benefited him, and Minkyun was sure that he knew the majority of the rooms and corridors within Hogwarts. (A decent reward, considering the number of times he had gotten lost and thought he would die in some of the darker corridors.) Some exciting moments for sure. Less fun for Changyoon, who had stressed over his safety for two years until Minkyun was satisfied with his extensive knowledge of the castle. He was still curious about some of the more obscure corners, but his instincts told him that it was a bad idea to push too far, so he had finally stopped. But Minkyun still liked slipping out at night, when the shadows started to move under the moonlight. 

It had been taking him too long to find his next target by now. He had asked quite a few ghosts where Kim Hyojin was, but apparently he hadn't been seen around for quite some time. Minkyun had no choice but to use his nose to locate the prefect. 

He was _not_ weird.

Only an Animagus.

Yes, it was illegal. Yes, he had decided to become one to befriend cats (the lengths Minkyun would go for the things he loved most in his life). No, he hadn’t regretted it at all. It had been a long, frightening process, and his questionable Potions history was certainly not reassuring. Yet, after several months of sneaking into the Forbidden section of the library to ensure his success, he had done it. 

But the final product had left him as a massive orange cat. Large enough for Changyoon to call him a tiger cub instead of a kitten. He had found out about his transformation when Minkyun had forgotten to shift after a late night walk and frantically changed back at the exact moment Changyoon woke up. (His roommate’s reaction made up for the mistake.)

Being a Maine Coon had some disadvantages. He was literally the size of a dog, and when he wanted to ask for cuddles, the other students usually didn't like it. Luckily, Changyoon tolerated him and even if he complained each time ( _"You're as big as Yuto, get out of here!"_ ), he always ended up letting Minkyun onto his lap. 

The second problem was the lack of discreteness that came with his size. Minkyun had already been clumsy as a human, once again considering his absurd record of failed potions that made his professors grateful that Changyoon and Minkyun weren’t in the same year. But being a cat much larger than average meant not being able to accomplish what a normal house cat could. This usually resulted in one of the many Hufflepuff plants being knocked off of a shelf at least once a month. The whole dormitory had grown used to watching him when he was in the common room to make sure he wasn’t about to break another pot. He was given a few nicknames thanks to this, his favorite one being “Bullcat.” 

Kim Hyojin smelled like an old library with a hint of mint. Not Minkyun’s favorite, but at least it was recognizable. He had been following the scent for a few minutes, padding along the corridor until he had started to get closer to the main part of the castle. As a precaution, the fourth-year changed back into a human once he made sure that no one was actually around. 

The transition into his original body meant the world became more colorful, but he lost the sharpness of his other senses. It didn’t affect him as much as it had used to—he had adjusted to the changes his other form brought. But coming from a world full of sensation to a duller, despite being more colorful, one was always a bit sad to him. He wondered how wonderful the world could be if the two points of views could be perfectly mixed. Maybe it would be overwhelming, but he was sure he would find it addictive. Once he had tried to describe the sensations to Yuto, who had just nodded along politely looking a little perplexed.

The young Hufflepuff entered the library, sure that the scent had been stronger there than anywhere else. As expected from Kim Hyojin. It wasn’t a surprise that he smelled of old pages and leather bindings—even during the first week of winter holidays, the prefect spent his time surrounded by books. But that also made Minkyun curious about the touch of mint. It was unusual for someone to have such a sharp scent, and it was often on the Gryffindor. Maybe he just brushed his teeth diligently. 

“Hello?” he called. There was no response. The early afternoon light was bright and unfiltered, making the room just a little too warm. 

Minkyun wasn’t surprised to find that Hyojin was the only person spending time in the library. He seemed to be absorbed in an interesting-looking book, and he didn’t stir at all as Minkyun approached him. The older boy had set his glasses on the table beside him to read, his charming features more visible than usual as he propped his head on his fist. 

Minkyun slowly slipped behind him and cried an _Ah!_ next to his ear. Hyojin startled in his chair, raising his book in defense. 

“Yah Lee-” Hyojin stopped and blinked in confusion before lowering the arm holding his book. “Oh, Park Minkyun.”

Minkyun grinned, amused by Hyojin’s flustered response. The black-haired boy didn’t hesitate to sit on the chair next to Hyojin, waving at him as an afterthought. Confusion was still evident on Hyojin’s face, like he had just woken up from a nap, and Minkyun felt a bit bad for his prank. The occasion had been just too perfect.

“Hey,” he laughed finally. “Sorry. I have a favor to ask you.”

More confusion. “ _That’s_ how you ask a favor?”

It seemed like he was mad. “I said I was sorry…” Minkyun tried his best pout and Hyojin sighed in defeat. 

“What is it?”

“We are planning a party for Changyoon’s birthday. And I would love it if you could come.”

Hyojin blinked, bewildered. His mouth opened a little, just enough to show his front teeth, and he set his book back onto the table. He seemed so sleepy, and his reactions were delayed. Minkyun found it kind of cute.

“When is it?” he finally asked. 

“On the 24th, after dark. But y’know, there is a chance that we’ll break some rules so…”

“So you want me to come and be the one punished instead of all of you if we get caught?”

“No, no, no!” Minkyun vigorously shook his hands in front of him, “Just, you know, if you decide not to come, then at least if you caught some of them going back to their dorms after curfew that day… Don’t be too harsh?” 

Hyojin sighed and rubbed his eyes, and Minkyun suddenly noticed his dark circles, surprised. 

“Okay…”

“So you’re coming?” Minkyun exclaimed happily. 

“What—No! No!”

Minkyun pouted and Hyojin sighed again. “Maybe, I don’t know. Where is it?”

“At our dorm.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thank you, Hyung, I’m counting on you!” Minkyun was already on his feet and moving to leave. Hyojin only nodded in return. 

The Hufflepuff headed towards the doors, pleased that one of his most difficult tasks was easily accomplished. 

_Oh._ Wait. 

Minkyun stopped and turned around, nearly shouting so that Hyojin could hear him well.

“By the way, Hyung, do you know where Jaeyoung-hyung is?” His voice echoed slightly in the empty room. 

_"No!”_

Hyojin’s answer was sharp and irritated, and Minkyun laughed to himself as he turned to leave. He shouted a last “Thank you!” before finally reaching the corridors outside.

His first thought was to check the Slytherin dorm. His only problem was that it was the most difficult common room to visit. The Slytherin students liked keeping it exclusive and never allowed anyone to know the password, not even their friends. It was common to see them hanging out in every other common room, but very few students could say they had been inside the Slytherin dorms. Minkyun had entered it only once as a cat and he had hated it. The dungeon was underwater, with windows looking out into the depths of the lake. Minkyun had classified this part of the castle as “not fun” and “dingy.” Although, this may be because he preferred the warmth and hominess of the Hufflepuff dorm to the cold and dark Slytherin common room. He didn’t know if he pitied the Slytherin students or was just glad that he wasn't one himself. At least he understood why they wanted to keep it a secret; they must have been embarrassed by it. 

Minkyun started to walk toward the dungeons without much hope of meeting someone that could help him. He preferred to not transform into a cat when he was exposed in the middle of the castle like this, as it was far too dangerous. Minkyun might be foolish sometimes, but it was not to the point of risking his life to find a particular Slytherin. It was nearing the end of lunchtime now, and more people would be out in the hallways to see him. He had already taken risks earlier by the library, and that had been enough for the day. 

As he approached the dorms, Minkyun heard some voices conversing loudly in the hallway ahead. He sped up his pace, not willing to miss this chance. In front of the door, some students were parting ways and Minkyun could see a familiar form turning to enter the common room. Hurriedly, he shouted, “Jaeyoung-hyung!”

The tall black-haired boy turned around, watching the Hufflepuff rushing towards him with a neutral expression. Minkyun noticed him say something to the two other Slytherins that had entered the dorm before turning back to look at him. 

When Minkyun stopped in front of the fifth-year, Jaeyoung offered him a gentle smile, regarding him with a curious stare.

“Minkyun,” he greeted. “What is it?”

“I…” Minkyun panted. He realized with embarrassment that he was a bit out of breath.

“Take your time, I won’t go anywhere.”

Minkyun nodded and smiled, breathing deeply. He had always been intrigued by Jaeyoung. The other boy had an intimidating image, with a tall stature for his age and a deep voice and square features. But it turned out that he was the exact opposite of his image, and was one of the most loved students of Hogwarts for his kindness and soft-sided heart. Minkyun had always thought that he would suit Gryffindor or Hufflepuff better than Slytherin. He wondered what trait made him part of this house in particular. 

“We are organizing a party, you know, for Changyoon’s birthday.”

“Oh yeah, it’s this week, right?”

“The 24th,” confirmed Minkyun as he nodded. “And we—I want as many people as possible. So since you get along with a lot of people I thought that-”

“I could talk to my friends?” Jaeyoung smiled at him kindly. “Got it, will do.” 

“Really?” asked Minkyun, surprised. 

“Yeah, I like parties. It’ll be fun, right?”

“Of course it will! Thank you, Hyung. It’ll be in our dorm and you don’t have to worry about the curfew because Hyojin-hyung agreed with our plan!”

Jaeyoung looked surprised for a second. Minkyun wasn’t _technically_ lying anyway, _maybe_ meant that there was half a chance that Hyojin would come, right?

“Okay then, I’ll spread the word. But Minkyun…”

“Yes?”

“Don’t expect Seungjun to come.”

“Why not?”

Jaeyoung looked dumbfounded for a moment and raised his eyebrows, clearly wondering if Minkyun was kidding or not.

“Well, it’s _Changyoon’s_ birthday.”

“And?”

“And they hate each other? I mean, at this point, I think it’s probably better that Seungjun doesn’t go. It’s _safer."_

Minkyun hummed and thought hard for a moment. “But that would mean he’d spend Christmas Eve alone. Isn’t that sad?”

Jaeyoung sighed and tousled his own hair. “Well, do what you want then. Maybe you’ll be able to convince him.”

“Don’t underestimate me, if I was able to convince Hyojin-hyung, I’ll definitely be able to make his best friend agree.”

“If you say so…”

“Do you have any idea where he is? I promise that when he comes back to the dorm, he’ll have agreed to come. Bet?”

Jaeyoung looked weirdly at Minkyun for a moment before breaking out into a grin, chuckling. “Okay, bet.”

“If you lose, then you have to grant me a wish later.”

“A wish?”

Minkyun nodded. “Don’t worry, just something simple.”

“And if I win? If you can’t convince Seungjun?”

“It won’t happen,” Minkyun grinned. 

“Let’s just see then. Good luck, you’ll need it.” Jaeyoung shook his head in disbelief. 

“Thank you, Hyung. I’ll see you around!” Minkyun’s usual childish smile grew back onto his face and he bounced on his feet in excitement as he turned to walk away. 

Minkyun had a competitive side, and he was willing and ready to accept a challenge if it seemed like a game. At this point, Minkyun hadn’t any other choice but to bring Seungjun to the party. If Seungjun refused, he was sure Hyojin would decide to stay with his friend to keep him company for the night, and thus he would wind up without two important people attending the party. This would ruin his plans for Changyoon, and he couldn’t have that happen. Being able to bring Lee Seungjun to the party was his most important mission. 

Not that Seungjun had ever been mean to him or anything, but he definitely wasn’t someone Minkyun was close to. With Hyojin, Minkyun had some experience being scolded by the prefect, but the two got on fairly well whenever they met. But he had almost never spoken to Seungjun. The Slytherin had an even more intimidating image than Jaeyoung, and Minkyun had never had the courage to become friends with him. He knew that in reality the other was kind and had a big heart. Yuto had often talked about him, happily praising him out of earshot of Changyoon. Minkyun had just stayed kind of neutral about him, unsure how to feel with his best friends’ contrasting opinions. Maybe it was because the Slytherin’s personality was too complex to comprehend. Maybe it was because Minkyun had already an entire Lee Changyoon to take care of. But maybe, in his heart, he quietly wanted to befriend Seungjun. Changyoon would never know about it.

Minkyun suddenly turned around.

“Wait—Jaeyoung-hyung!”

By chance, the other still hadn’t entered his dorm, and he looked at Minkyun with eyebrows raised. 

“You still haven’t answered! Do you have any idea where Seungjun is?"

“He talked about Quidditch practice before heading out!”

“Thank you, Hyung!”

Minkyun finally left, almost in a hurry. He tried to keep his pace normal, but he started to grow nervous, rehearsing what he’d say to Seungjun in his head. As he continued towards the main entrance, Minkyun glanced outside through the castle’s windows. It was snowing, not a lot, but enough to add a poetic feeling to the scenery. Perfect weather to go and play in the snow. He reminded himself to ask Yuto and Changyoon to join him later. His eyes rested on the Quidditch stadium, but the field was too far through the wintery haze to see if someone was playing there. 

When Minkyun reached the outdoors, he was slapped by a powerful and particularly cold wind that made him shiver. He was glad for not forgetting his scarf, hat, or his gloves for once. He hurried up, trudging down the path towards the field, but started to grow tired because of the thick snow and the squalls. Pausing for a moment, he looked up and saw a figure hovering in the sky. They did a lazy loop in the air before going back towards the ground. Seungjun. 

Minkyun decided he would sit in the stands and wait until the Slytherin was done with his training. He had no problem disturbing a familiar prefect during his resting period, but he was not fond of the idea of annoying someone that could send him to the infirmary for the next few days. Especially just before Changyoon’s birthday and Christmas. And, even if he was sure that Hyojin’s book in the face would have hurt like hell, it wouldn’t have given him head trauma. Or at least he hoped so. So, he played the safe game and simply waited, even if it meant sitting in the frozen weather for a few hours.

It was only when Minkyun sat above the field that he could clearly see what was happening below. Seungjun was not alone. Minkyun watched as he dove from several feet up, using his broomstick easily like an extension of his body. It seemed like he was teaching a small silhouette, one that Minkyun knew very well. 

Seungjun and Yuto were both on their broomsticks, talking about something in the middle of the field with Yuto nodding along and Seungjun using his hands to better explain. Minkyun grew curious, as it seemed like Seungjun was holding onto something in his right hand, but he couldn’t tell what it was because of their distance. 

It’s only when Seungjun opened his palm that he understood.

_The Golden Snitch._

The tiny ball whirled into the air after a moment, sensing its freedom. Minkyun could just barely see it as it glinted in the cold sunshine before it vanished. He waited, expecting the Slytherin to show off his skills to the younger. 

Minkyun gasped in surprise as Yuto took off to look for it, Seungjun only watching him from the side, several feet below. 

What was the Slytherin thinking? Yuto wasn’t a Quidditch player. Minkyun wasn’t sure that what Seungjun was doing was allowed. Worry grew on him, knowing well how being a Seeker was a dangerous job and that Yuto wasn’t experienced at all. He could fall off his broom at any time or lose control and end up hurting himself or something else. He watched the younger Ravenclaw fly with his heart in his throat. 

Seungjun had apparently noticed Minkyun and was approaching the Hufflepuff, drifting towards him on his broom. His face was neutral, and he was wearing his Quidditch robes, draped casually over his regular uniform. Here, in his element, he looked the most intimidating. 

“What do you want?” The Slytherin’s voice was as cold as the weather as it carried over the wind and Minkyun lost the courage to smile up at him. 

“I’m…” Minkyun blinked, not knowing what to say anymore.

He felt dumb and blushed a bit, finally understanding how Changyoon felt every time he struggled with his words.

That’s when Seungjun laughed and patted his shoulder amicably. He landed on the stands beside him, turning for a moment to watch Yuto, still flying high. Minkyun noticed that Seungjun was quite a bit shorter than him. 

“Hey. Minkyun, right? Yuto talks about you.”

Seungjun’s smile was free of any malice, and Minkyun immediately lost his nervousness. The elder’s eyes seemed to glint with something like pleasure. 

“Yes, I’m Minkyun. And-”

“Hyung!” 

Yuto appeared next to Seungjun, startling the two older boys at the same time.

“Oh, Minkyun-hyung is here too.”

The young Ravenclaw looked somehow endearing in the too-large Slytherin Quidditch team robes draped around his shoulders. The protection goggles that Seungjun usually wore were hiding almost half of his face. His brown hair was ruffled by the harsh wind and his cheeks and ears reddish from the cold.

“Hi,” Minkyun greeted his friend, watching as the boy turned to Seungjun.

“I caught it!” he proudly exclaimed as he lifted the Golden Snitch for them to see.

Minkyun and Seungjun exchanged a surprised glance. Yuto _couldn’t_ have caught it that quickly, and they both knew it. Even without anyone trying to stop him, a new player would usually struggle for hours before being able to catch the little ball. 

“Maybe the ball is broken?” tried Seungjun, which earned him a crestfallen look from Yuto.

“Uh—no, that was a joke! I was joking! Of course the ball isn’t broken, that’s the one I practice with, haha,” the Slytherin brushed his confusion off in a second. 

Minkyun looked at him in amusement, raising an eyebrow and Seungjun only reacted by rolling his eyes.

“Really? Does that mean that I’m already better than you?” 

Minkyun laughed inwardly at Yuto’s brave enthusiasm, expecting to see Seungjun claim his own superiority.

“It seems so, good job! I’ll have to train even more starting from now on.” Seungjun smiled proudly down at him and gave him a pat on the head. 

Minkyun was surprised by that kind of reaction from Seungjun. He had thought because of his history with Changyoon that he would be more arrogant about his abilities. He couldn’t help but smile at the heartwarming sight. 

“Seungjun-hyung, I have something to ask you,” Minkyun said finally. 

“Hmm? What is it?” He glanced distractedly up at Minkyun for a moment, making eye contact and smiling. 

“You know… Well, you may _not_ know but we are organizing a party for Changyoon-hyung.”

Seungjun seemed puzzled at the mention of his eternal rival, furrowing his brows, but Minkyun didn’t pause.

“And we would like every student to come,” he added, “And, uh, well… you are a student.” Seungjun blinked at him for a moment. 

Yuto didn’t give Seungjun time to answer, catching his hand in his and looking at his friend with hope in his eyes.

“Please, Hyung!”

Minkyun could tell that Yuto knew he had some influence on Seungjun. The elder’s hard face melted as he looked at the smaller boy’s pleading expression. Minkyun promised to himself to be more careful when Yuto wanted something, watching Seungjun consider his offer in surprise. The kid was definitely clever and aware of the power he held on his older friends. 

“Wait, wait, wait…” Seungjun started in confusion, “Why would I come? I mean, it won’t make him happy to see me there. And it’s his _birthday,_ so…”

“Changyoon-hyung isn’t mean, you know. As long as you don’t do anything it will be fine,” the 4th-year tried to reassure him.

“But… I don’t want to.”

Both Minkyun and Yuto lost their smiles at the same time and Seungjun whined seeing their defeat.

“Stop with those faces! It won’t change anything. It’s not a good idea anyway.”

“Please…?” Yuto tried again with a pout.

Seungjun shook his head and Minkyun had to think fast.

“Hyojin-hyung is already coming, though.”

Seungjun frowned, seemingly taken aback, and Minkyun exchanged a knowing look with Yuto. He knew he’d just used his best card, and that it would make Seungjun think some more about the offer. Minkyun just hoped Hyojin wouldn’t cause everything to fall through. It was sure the two friends would talk about it on their own.

Seungjun let out a sigh. “Come on kid, let’s get changed before we catch a cold.”

Yuto shot one last glance at Minkyun who smiled weakly and winked in return. He was trying to show that he knew what was going inside Seungjun’s head, but in fact he was completely lost by his final reaction. It was the same kind of answer as Hyojin’s _maybe,_ which didn’t bode well for them. 

As he watched Seungjun and Yuto go back to the locker rooms, Minkyun hoped that Jaeyoung’s wish wouldn’t be too harsh.

꧁꧂

Jaeyoung watched, amused, as Seungjun paced the floor of their common room. He had come back late from teaching Yuto the basics of Quidditch, with confusion painted on his features as he flopped down onto the couch beside Jaeyoung. He hadn’t stayed there for long though, leaping up to voice the thoughts so clearly grinding through his head. 

_"Lee Changyoon?_ I can’t believe this, Jae, I’ve been invited to a party for _Lee Changyoon?"_

So Minkyun had talked to him. 

“So have I,” Jaeyoung reasoned. Seungjun huffed and ignored him, running a lazy hand through his newly silver-blond hair. He stopped pacing for a moment to turn and regard Jaeyoung with narrowed eyes. 

“Changyoon definitely hates me,” he said, quieter. A look of frustration crossed his face before he rolled his eyes and began walking again. “What if I don’t go?”

“Minkyun asked you because he felt bad that you’d be alone on Christmas Eve, you know.”

“I have Hyojin.”

“He said Hyojin agreed to go,” Jaeyoung reminded him with a grin. He knew the Gryffindor really hadn’t agreed yet, had known when he watched the panic spark in Minkyun’s eyes that afternoon. There and then gone. The Hufflepuff was truly one to be reckoned with, even if he wasn’t very good at lying. Jaeyoung laughed at the disgruntled expression on Seungjun’s face. 

“I’ve been _betrayed,"_ he whined, “by my own best friend! What if Changyoon wants to get back at me for what I did to their dorms?” He draped himself dramatically back onto the couch and huffed again, looking up at Jaeyoung from his lap. 

“Then you’ll deserve it.” Jaeyoung smiled again, flicking the blond lightly on the forehead. “The Great Hall smelled like shit for days.”

Seungjun rolled his eyes and smacked Jaeyoung in the chest. “You’re so cruel, you know that? Everyone thinks you’re so kind and good, but I know how you really are. Why are _you_ going to the party? You don’t talk to Changyoon _or_ Minkyun.”

Jaeyoung chuckled again. “Maybe I want to start talking to them,” he said mysteriously, and Seungjun groaned and put his face in his hands. Jaeyoung relented. “Really, it’s because of Yuto.” 

The younger boy had come to him excitedly days before Minkyun to tell him about the party. It was clear how much Yuto adored Lee Changyoon from the way he sang praises of him whenever he spent time with Jaeyoung. 

“I’m not sure if I can tell you this yet, but we’re having a party for Changyoon-hyung on his birthday!” he had said. “He thinks it’s just going to be me and Minkyun-hyung, but we want to invite as many people as we can!”

Jaeyoung laughed and ruffled the younger’s hair. “I’ll come, if that’s what you’re asking.” Yuto’s eyes lit up, and he nodded with one of the biggest smiles he had given the Slytherin yet. Immediately he launched into their plans for the night, how they were going to provide Changyoon’s favorite foods and try to find as many gifts as possible for the sixth-year. 

“Ah, but I’m not sure how Seungjun-hyung is going to come,” Yuto pouted. “Minkyun-hyung said we should invite him, but I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Jaeyoung contemplated this for a moment before patting the Ravenclaw on the back. “I’ll see what I can do. But you’re probably right.”

Yuto nodded sadly. Both he and Jaeyoung were well aware of their friends’ strange rivalry. Yuto especially, having been caught between the pair on more than one occasion. The boy seemed to be the only thing the two would accept they had in common. Surprisingly, they never fought over the other’s friendship with the Ravenclaw, a detail that showed they respected him enough to let him make his own decisions. 

Jaeyoung remembered clearly the first time he had heard of Lee Changyoon in a negative light, his name coming from Seungjun’s mouth loudly, in anger after Slythrerin had lost to Hufflepuff in an extremely close Quidditch match in their third year. 

“He’s so _arrogant,_ Jae,” Seungjun spat. His dark eyes were alight with a rare kind of rage Jaeyoung only saw when his friend was upset over sports. “He said-”

“I heard what he said, Jun, and I agree it was out of place. But there’s no need to-”

“Jaeyoung! That was the best catch I’ve ever made, and he brushed it off like it was _nothing."_ Seungjun yanked his school jumper over his head and turned to slam his locker shut. “Even if they were ten points ahead, it’s not like they’re _that_ superior to us. We’re a good team.” 

“I know,” Jaeyoung placated. He remembered the quiet awe Seungjun had held for the Hufflepuff up until this point. Even though they were different positions, Seungjun knew what a good athlete looked like. He was passionate and lively on and off the field, examining the plays from every team to help his own become better. It must have stung a little to have such a careless comment thrown at him after such a great catch, but Jaeyoung hadn’t been sure what to say. “I thought you were amazing.”

Seungjun stopped stomping around the locker room for a moment to turn and look at Jaeyoung. His hair had been dark that year, messy and wild like always after a match, but it suited him well then, just as the blond did now. The flames in his eyes softened and his regular playful smile came back a bit as he said, “You were amazing too.” He reached up and pushed at Jaeyoung’s shoulder. “Should have sent more Bludgers after them though. Did you see how many times they had the Quaffle?” 

Jaeyoung rolled his eyes. “Yes, I was actually paying attention instead of flying sixty feet above everyone else.”

Seungjun scoffed in mock-hurt as they exited the locker room together. “How could you speak to me like that! We almost won, if Lee Changyoon hadn’t-”

“Hadn’t what? Done my job? Maybe your Captain should pick better Beaters,” a honeyed voice interrupted. The boy in question stood six feet away, a smirk playing at his lips as he considered the two Slytherins in front of him. Seungjun opened his mouth to retort, but Jaeyoung grabbed his arm hastily. 

“Seungjun,” he warned. “It’s fine, he’s right, I wasn’t really on my game today. It’s nothing.” 

Changyoon’s grin grew wider as he watched them. Behind him, a tall second-year Hufflepuff stood looking nervously between them. _Park Minkyun,_ Jaeyoung remembered. 

Seungjun rolled his eyes and dragged Jaeyoung towards a waiting Hyojin, gritting his teeth. “I’ll make his life hell next time, and then he’ll think twice before criticizing _our_ Beaters when his barely did shit. I was alone the whole game!” Jaeyoung laughed and agreed, making eye contact with Hyojin. The other could see Seungjun’s sour mood and he sighed as he approached them.

Jaeyoung laughed at the memory and looked down at the now very-much-older Seungjun in his lap. The boy glared up at him, still betrayed. He certainly didn’t look as convinced as Minkyun had promised. 

Seungjun had definitely taken Changyoon’s insults to heart as a third-year, determined to prove himself as an exceptional Quidditch player, and maybe to impress the older Hufflepuff. Jaeyoung remembered the frequent late-night practices and the strategy books Seungjun poured over to make himself better, until he was crowned Captain of the Slytherin team at the start of their fourth year. Jaeyoung watched as the Hufflepuff Captain always seemed one step ahead, infuriating Seungjun to no end, and starting another cycle of intense practice and studying. 

To be invited to his birthday party after two years of rivalry was understandably a little confusing. Changyoon hadn’t started the pranking, only retaliating to Seungjun’s charms in annoyance with stronger, better spells, until their rivalry became the gossip of the entire school and Seungjun was frequently sent to be punished. It was a roundabout game with no real benefit to the Slytherin, unless he enjoyed stacking books for hours. 

The older boy adjusted the way he sat until he rested next to Jaeyoung on the couch, letting out a sigh. He had gone quiet, clearly thinking deeply. 

“Do _you_ think I should go?” He looked defeated, suddenly tired. It wasn’t like him at all. 

“I assume Yuto’s asked you, too?” 

Seungjun nodded. “He looked really hopeful.”

Jaeyoung patted the other on the shoulder. “It can’t be that bad if we’re both there. Plus, Hyojin’s going. It’s not like you don’t know anyone.”

Seungjun snorted and mumbled something under his breath. _That’s not the problem._ He sighed again, stretching his limbs out and knocking Jaeyoung’s knee with his foot before retracting it and standing up. “I’m going to eat. I’ll think about it later.”

Jaeyoung hummed and waved goodbye, watching him gather his things before heading out. 

He didn’t know why he was trying so hard to convince Seungjun to go. It was just a party. He barely knew the Hufflepuffs, having spent most of his time with his housemates and Yuto. 

Maybe part of him just missed Seungjun. They had been separate more often than not recently despite being in the same year. Maybe befriending Changyoon wasn’t a bad idea for either of them. 

The thud of the common room door falling shut behind his friend drew Jaeyoung out of his thoughts. If he was going to befriend Changyoon, the easiest route was through someone who already knew and loved him. 

⁕⁕⁕

“Hyung?” Yuto poked his head out of the door to the Ravenclaw common room curiously, eyes wide. Jaeyoung had caught a second year struggling to solve the knocker’s riddle and answered it for her, asking her to fetch her housemate for him. She had done so gratefully. 

“Have you eaten?” he asked in return, smiling at the younger. Yuto stepped out into the stairwell then, shaking his head. 

“Not yet, why?” 

“I want to go somewhere,” the Slytherin grinned. “Bring your scarf.”

The younger didn’t question him, turning abruptly to do as he was told and appearing back outside a few minutes later. The pair set off together, Yuto chatting happily about his day while Jaeyoung listened. The third year had been begging Seungjun to teach him to fly like him for weeks and the Slytherin had finally agreed that morning, taking him out to the Quidditch pitch despite the snow. Jaeyoung had stayed behind, having promised to help some of his younger housemates practice their charms before classes resumed after the new year. He didn’t mind Charms, was good at it, even, but the practice had drained him unexpectedly. Then Minkyun had asked him to the party and Seungjun had returned with his dramatics, leaving Jaeyoung with no time to himself. He didn’t mind it, really, spending time with Yuto was better.

He led them out of Ravenclaw Tower and back into the main castle. Yuto fell into a comfortable silence beside him. They passed through several corridors without encountering anyone else, the majority of the students remaining most likely eating in the Great Hall. 

Jaeyoung paused outside the door leading to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, looking for something in his robes. Yuto shot him a quizzical look, unsure of why they were there instead of with the rest of the castle. 

“You wanted me to come to Defense Against the Dark Arts with you?”

Jaeyoung smiled at him. “You’ll see.”

With that, he rapped his knuckles on the door, pausing for the _Come in!_ before opening it with a cheery: “Hello, Professor! I’ve brought your things.”

“Oh! Jaeyoung, what a nice surprise. Hello, Yuto,” the professor greeted. 

Jaeyoung entered confidently, pulling a small satchel from his inner pockets and setting it on her desk. Yuto trailed behind him, acknowledging the professor with a nod and a shy smile. Jaeyoung had business today. Things were stacked in his favor, and he was going to try his luck. The professor set down her quill, offering a broad smile up at the Slytherin. She picked the satchel up gently and opened it, pouring several odd trinkets onto her palm. 

“Lovely, thank you so much, Jaeyoung. You’ve been very helpful to me.” She looked up at him from her seat and laughed, shaking her head. “I know that look. What do you need, my dear?”

“Ah, Professor,” he smiled sheepishly. “I was just wondering if you could give us permission to go down to Hogsmeade for a bit. I need to pick something up.”

The professor laughed again and hummed. “Come to think of it, there are some things I need down there anyway. Are you going this evening? I can accompany you.”

Jaeyoung gave her his best smile. She gave a matching one in return, looking pleased. “Thank you so much, Professor. We would love that.” He reached for Yuto’s arm and pulled the boy into himself, giving him a strange embrace. As he looked down at the younger, he nearly laughed seeing his expression. He looked shocked, like he hadn’t expected Jaeyoung to be so close to the teachers. Jaeyoung patted his side and turned back to the professor. “What time should we be ready for you?”

“Ah, just give me a few minutes to put my things away and then we can go. You can have a seat over there somewhere,” she pointed in a vague direction towards some of the desks. Jaeyoung smiled again and hummed in affirmation. 

“What-”

“Shh, you’re not allowed to tell anyone.”

“How did you manage-”

Jaeyoung chuckled quietly. “I just noticed things at first. I’d wait for their inkwells to dry up and I’d bring them a new one.” 

Yuto looked at him with something akin to wonder. “But why?”

He had to think about that one. Eventually he shrugged. “Helping people is nice.”

Yuto seemed satisfied with this, sitting back as the professor came back towards them. 

“Thank you for waiting, boys. Shall we go now?”

Jaeyoung watched Yuto’s eyes light up with a quiet excitement as they reached the edge of Hogsmeade, the snow whirling around his small frame as if in a movie. He bade their teacher farewell, gesturing for the younger to follow as he took the familiar path towards the pub. Yuto fell into step beside him quickly, eyes wide as he watched their surroundings intently. Jaeyoung realized with a start that this was the boy's first trip to Hogsmeade.

The sun hadn’t quite set yet, the hazy light mixing with the streetlamps and covering Yuto’s face with an odd kind of glow. Jaeyoung grinned and brought them inside the Three Broomsticks, ordering quickly for himself and paying for Yuto once he had decided on a meal. The pub was not nearly as full as he was used to seeing it, but it still bustled with the same lively energy it had when the other students came for a visit. 

The two settled into a booth on the far end from the door. Yuto unwrapped the blue scarf wound tightly around his neck as they sat, the warmth of the room too much for the added layers.

“Tell me about Changyoon-hyung,” Jaeyoung urged, and Yuto looked startled. 

“What do you mean?”

“It’s his birthday soon, isn’t it? I thought we could go shopping for his party.”

It took Yuto a second to process this. Delight quickly spread across his face as he realized what Jaeyoung was saying, sitting up straight in his excitement.

“That would be amazing! But can we…?”

Jaeyoung nodded, amused by the younger’s enthusiasm. 

“But Hyung… I don’t have money…”

“It’s okay,” Jaeyoung reassured him, “I can buy whatever you want.”

The waiter came and brought their orders, Jaeyoung smiled and thanked him before concentrating on Yuto again.

“So,” he started, “Tell me about your friend. What does he like?”

“Quidditch!” Yuto immediately answered, making Jaeyoung laugh.

“Well, that’s not something new. What about some things only you would know?”

“Hmm…” Yuto started to think, his eyebrows drawn together. Jaeyoung watched him take a big sip of his drink and he gave him a broad smile as he reached out to offer a napkin to wipe off the cream on his mouth.

“Oh- thank you,” Yuto smiled, embarrassed.

“What about his favorite sweets?”

“Fizzing Whizbees!”

"His favorite class?"

"Herbology. He doesn't really show it but he likes plants a lot."

"What’s his favorite?"

"I remember him talking about something… I think it starts with an _A_..." he mumbled, frowning in concentration.

Jaeyoung waited patiently, sipping at his drink.

"Asphodel!" Yuto suddenly exclaimed, clapping his hands. Some curious glances wandered to their table.

"Isn't that used in potions mainly?" Jaeyoung tried to remember where he heard its name before. Vaguely he recalled reading it somewhere. 

"Yeah, it is. But Changyoon complained about its price once. I think he wants to raise some."

"What a perfect gift it would be then, right?" Jaeyoung winked and Yuto's smile became almost as big as his face.

"You think we could find some here?"

"Well, I don't know, but I know some people that could help us. We have nothing to lose by trying, at least."

Yuto nodded in excitement and the pair continued eating in a comfortable silence. He followed happily when Jaeyoung stood up.

"Let's go then?"

"Yes!"

Jaeyoung was once again amazed by the energy and bright mood of his younger friend. He knew things must have been different here as he was a transfer student, but Yuto rarely showed discomfort and seemed to have already fully adapted to his new life. Jaeyoung hoped he had been a contributing factor to his friend’s enthusiasm. 

Jaeyoung led them up to Dogweed and Deathcap, the only herbology-specialized shop in the town. He knew the sellers well as he was often sent to collect things by his professors. Still, he wasn't sure if such a specific plant could be found there.

They entered the shop just as more snowflakes started to fall from the sky. As usual, the entrance was stuffed with flowers hanging from the ceiling to dry, forcing Jaeyoung to bend down a bit in order to walk in untouched. He watched, amused at how the plants stopped perfectly at Yuto's height, sometimes sweetly brushing the top of his head. The main room was full of color and a strong scent was now surrounding them, making Yuto hide his nose more deeply in his scarf despite the comfortable temperature of the room. It was slightly more humid than what Jaeyoung remembered, and he noted some unknown plants in his head, making sure to ask his professor about them the next time he saw her.

"Hello?" the black-haired boy called to the empty room. 

Behind him, he heard Yuto mumble, "I don't know what job I want to do later but at least I'm sure it's not this one." Seemingly impatient, he drifted off to one side of the shop, avoiding touching the many plants as he went. 

"Coming!" a muffled voice echoed from the back of the shop, which made Yuto come back closer to Jaeyoung, the older taking the opportunity to gently ruffle his hair.

"Sorry for making you—oh, Jaeyoung!" a middle-aged lady exclaimed as the two boys bowed to show their respect.

"One of your professors is using you again for their groceries?" the shopkeeper asked as she disappeared behind some large exotic trees. "What is it this time? _Mimbulus mimbletonia? Flutterby bush?_ If it's about Moondew just tell them gently to stop harassing me about it or I might just _confound_ it with Devil's Snare, which would be very unfortunate."

Yuto and Jaeyoung exchanged a confused but slightly amused look.

"No, it has nothing to do with that,” Jaeyoung explained calmly. "Actually, I- we need a favor from you."

"A favor?" The shopkeeper’s red locks and curious eyes popped out behind plants at the opposite end of the shop, making Yuto blink in confusion.

"We want to buy seeds. I know you can't sell it to everyone but…"

The shop owner stood up from her beloved plants and walked toward the two students, "Depends on the plant you need, young man. If it's peppermint then I would gladly sell some to you." 

"It's Asphodel," Yuto spoke up to Jaeyoung's surprise.

"Asphodel?" The lady looked at Yuto with a mysterious grin. “What a strange choice. Can I ask what it’s for?"

"A gift," he answered simply. 

"What an odd gift, then. Are you sure that’s what you’re looking for?"

"Yes, ma’am,” Yuto affirmed with a nod.

"Then I can sell it to you. But it's not the easiest plant to grow and not the cheapest either."

"Don't worry about that," Jaeyoung reassured her. "I'm sure that nothing bad would happen to them." Yuto nodded to accentuate what Jaeyoung was saying and the lady smiled.

"Then wait for me here, I'll get what you're looking for." 

Jaeyoung and Yuto exchanged a victorious smile before high-fiving in delight. 

When she came back with a little brown-colored box, Jaeyoung followed her to pay. Curiously, he opened the lid to see six perfectly round seeds resting inside.

“Why six?” he asked, wondering if it would change the price or not. 

“That’s how Asphodel works, my dear. If you want the details, you should ask your professor or the person that will grow them. But this also explains why this plant is difficult to find in the wild. And why it’s pricey too, I guess.”

Jaeyoung nodded, still curious about the phenomena behind this. Luckily for him, it wasn’t _that_ pricey, and he thanked the woman before going back to Yuto. The younger boy’s eyes lit up when he saw the box. As they headed out, Jaeyoung delicately slipped the little treasure box into his pocket. 

The snowflakes were now falling in a good rhythm, hiding comfortably in the two students' hair. 

“Should we just get some sweets and stop here?” Jaeyoung suggested. Yuto agreed with a nod. 

They walked in the direction of Honeydukes, talking about their own favorite sweets and chocolates and what to buy for the party in order to please as many people as possible. As they were about to arrive, Yuto stopped before a little shop with various clothes displayed in the showcase.

“Is there something you like?” the Slytherin asked as he noticed how Yuto was staring at a specific sweatshirt out of every article. 

“Not for me, but you know. Changyoon loves fashion.” Yuto turned to Jaeyoung while pointing at the grey sweatshirt with some pretty patterns on it. “And I think this one is his style.”

“Should we buy it then? One gift can be his birthday gift and the other his Christmas gift.”

Jaeyoung watched Yuto pout as he hesitated, clearly feeling guilty. Laughing quietly, he entered the little shop and came out again a few minutes later with a pretty white and gold package. 

“I hope I didn’t get his size wrong,” he said just before Yuto hit him on the arm.

“Hyung! That’s not what you’re supposed to do!”

“Why not?” laughed the older boy, amused to see Yuto flustered.

“Because I feel bad now! And we still have sweets to buy…”

Jaeyoung grinned at Yuto’s kind heart. “You know, you want to make your friend happy and that makes me happy.” 

Yuto blinked in confusion. “But you don’t really know Changyoon.” 

“Not him, but I know you. So don’t worry too much. If you want to repay me you’ll just have to accompany me the next time a professor wants me to buy something for them.”

Yuto sighed in defeat. What he didn’t know was that Jaeyoung had seen a perfect blue pullover in the shop and had decided to buy it for him. Christmas was still coming, and the idea of buying the younger a gift had been wandering in Jaeyoung’s mind for a few hours already. He felt pleased with his purchases. 

By the time they had finished in Honeydukes, the sun had set and Hogsmeade was lit in bright red and green lights. Together, they walked back towards the castle, hands full of gifts and Jaeyoung’s wallet significantly lighter.

꧁꧂

“Come with me.”

Seungjun rolled his eyes for the nth time in the past few minutes. Hyojin had appeared out of nowhere when the Slytherin had left the dungeons to get his food. Apparently his best friend had waited for him to leave the common room, even if it meant delaying his own dinner for a few minutes, which meant that he came for something important. But as they started to head towards the Hall, Seungjun could tell that Hyojin was nervous. 

“Come on, tell me.”

His friend sighed.

“I got invited to Changyoon’s birthday party. But I don’t want to go alone.”

Seungjun didn’t need to know more to understand where this was going. He slowly turned to face Hyojin with an _are you serious_ face, blinking a few times to emphasize the serious part. 

“... Please?” pleaded Hyojin and Seungjun shook his head, half amused and half exasperated.

“No. Never,” he said, smiling.

 _"Jun!_ Come on, just this once.”

Hyojin calling Seungjun by a nickname was a rare occasion. He was truly desperate.

“Then go by yourself if it’s just once.”

“Give me your reasoning for not going with me. It’ll be nice, I promise! We’ll stay with each other, anyway.” There was a quiet panic in his voice, pitching it a little higher than normal. 

Seungjun froze and stared at the Gryffindor, slowly coming to realize what was happening. This wasn’t about Hyojin wanting Seungjun to go with him to become friends with Changyoon. It was about _Hyojin_ being scared of going alone to a party. It was about the introverted, unconfident Hyojin, the one that used to hide slightly behind Seungjun every time they were talking to strangers when they were younger. But Hyojin wanted to go to a party to make friends and have fun, and he didn’t get a lot of opportunities like this one. His circle of friends was composed of around four people, Seungjun and Jaeyoung included. 

This was more complicated than Seungjun thought. 

He had to balance things out right or it could screw everything up. It felt like he had the power of making two different people’s entire nights change. A burden. 

Red pill, Hyojin would be happy and could have fun with new people, but Lee Changyoon might have the worst birthday of his life.  
  
Blue pill, Hyojin would be sad and spend the night playing games with Seungjun (or just reading books if he was sulking), but Changyoon’s birthday would be saved.

The choice seemed easy at first, making Hyojin happy by doing the opposite for his rival. But Seungjun didn’t hate Changyoon to that extent. He wasn’t cruel, and he wasn’t going to ruin a birthday party that his friends were planning out for him. 

“Why do you have so much trust in me?” Seungjun asked genuinely, making Hyojin sigh.

“You’re not dumb. Maybe I am by thinking that, but you know your limits.”

“Maybe. But not targeting Changyoon doesn’t mean I won’t target something or someone else.” Be annoying and playful, that was simple. It covered his feelings easily. 

Hyojin slapped Seungjun’s arm, earning a complaint from the other.

“Stop being such a pain, would you?”

“You’re not my mom,” answered the blond boy, sticking out his tongue. 

The two friends finally reached the Great Hall, having spent the entire walk there bickering. They both went to sit at the Gryffindor table, as was their usual when they were together. The habit appeared during Seungjun’s first year, when the young Slytherin was still a bit overwhelmed by everything and preferred sticking to Hyojin’s side, proudly showing off that he was friends with a second year to his new housemates and classmates. 

They sat down, Seungjun watching Hyojin begin to serve himself. He cared deeply for his friendship with the Gryffindor, and he would make sure that Hyojin knew it. Seungjun had never thought he would be the one to tear them apart. Yet, in his third year when he realised that he started to spend less time with his best friend because of Quidditch, his new friends, and simply because they weren’t in the same year, he grew paranoid. He always knew he was the more dependent of the two, so the fact that he was the one drifting away shook him deeply. 

Seungjun was bad at handling emotional things in general, but his own feelings were not easy for him at all. He just knew who he wanted to annoy and who he wanted to cherish. That was it. His world was pretty simple. The only way he felt he could save his friendship was by putting Hyojin in the middle ground. So he started to annoy him too, like Changyoon, as well as making an effort to spend more time with him. It was dumb, but Seungjun never had to deal with such a fear until now. 

He couldn’t tell if Hyojin had noticed the change or not, but he didn’t dare talk with him about it. Seungjun was definitely not the kind of person to open up about his concerns. He would do everything to help the people he cared for, but he could never let anyone know what he felt. Especially Hyojin. Despite his strange sixth sense for knowing when something was wrong, they always bickered over everything anyway. So his plan had been a huge success. Or at least he hoped so.

But that’s also how he noticed that maybe he _wasn’t_ the dependent one. Seungjun loved Hyojin like a real brother and he couldn’t imagine his life without him, but he couldn’t help but worry for his friend. Hyojin was not the best when it came to befriending people. While Seungjun could easily imagine a life where he talked and interacted less with the red haired boy (even if it still scared him), he wondered what would happen to Hyojin. He knew the other held a loner image but Seungjun knew well enough that it wasn’t wanted. The Slytherin wondered if it was his fault. If he hadn’t come to Hogwarts during Hyojin’s second year, maybe the older boy would have been able to make other friends and be more comfortable around people. 

Seungjun wasn’t scared about losing his friendship with Hyojin anymore, he knew now that it would never happen. He also knew that inevitably they would start making friends on their own and that it would wind up with less time between them. However, Seungjun was scared because it had happened one-sidedly. Hyojin had no one but him at his side and Seungjun didn’t dare let it change. 

“Consider this,” Hyojin started again after he made sure Seungjun’s plate was full of food he loved, “You come to the party and I'll help you with your Astronomy and History of Magic homework. The O.W.L. is coming, right?”

“I can study on my own.”

“And fail? We both know where you’re going if no one makes you study.”

“Are you saying I’m dumb?”

“Hmm... yes,” Hyojin grinned before stuffing food into his mouth. 

Seungjun couldn’t help but laugh.

“It’s not that I’m dumb, it’s that those subjects are too boring for my intellectual mind.”

It was Hyojin’s turn to laugh and Seungjun feigned that he was hurt, putting his hands over his heart. 

“Yeah yeah, of course,” the Gryffindor teased him with a playful smirk.

“If I don’t go, then what will you do?” Seungjun put his chin in his hand and carefully watched his friend. Hyojin looked up, lost in his thoughts for a few seconds, enough time to finish swallowing what he was eating.

“I guess I can’t leave you alone.”

Seungjun’s mouth formed a perfect “o” as he realised what he really meant. 

“You can, I don’t care. I know how to have fun on my own. Seriously, if you want to go then you can. Don’t use me as an excuse.”

“An excuse? I’m not-” 

“Really?” Their eyes locked and neither of them spoke for a few seconds, as if they were silently communicating. 

“Do you really think I would do that?” Hyojin finally let out in an offended voice. Seungjun sighed and straightened his back.

“Don’t try to make me look bad here. What I was saying is that for once, be brave and have some social interactions without my help, okay?”

Hyojin was definitely offended by that, pursing his lips, and Seungjun bit his tongue in regret.

“Do you seriously think I can’t make friends without you? Do you think that’s why I want you to come? Is it so _bad_ to want my best friend to come with me to a party for Christmas Eve?”

_Yes, yes and no._

“I didn’t know you cared about me so much,” Seungjun claimed, wiping an invisible tear from his cheek that earned him a slap on the shoulder. He laughed loudly at Hyojin’s expression. 

“I hate you,” he grumbled, putting his frustration into the food he was eating. He impaled a potato on his fork grumpily. 

“Don’t lie.”

“I hate you until you come with me.”

Seungjun laughed at his stubborn friend.

“Oh no, how do I win against that? I need your love to live!”

Hyojin snorted at his friend's antics, an amused smile finally spreading across his face.

“Then that means you will come?”

“Ahh, too bad for you. I know how to make a love potion,” Seungjun teased. 

Hyojin’s disgusted face made the youngest burst into laughter.

“Is it _that_ bad to love me?” 

“Of course it is!”

Seungjun snorted at that, more amused than annoyed. 

⁕⁕⁕

Once they finished eating, they headed out, talking about their days instead of continuing their past argument. Together, they walked to the Gryffindor dormitory. The Fat Lady didn’t question Hyojin saying the password out loud with a Slytherin beside him. Not because Hyojin was a prefect, but because she was used to seeing the blond boy around after all these years. Especially when half the time Seungjun didn’t need Hyojin to enter the common room anyway, he always seemed to know the password. 

The room was warm and empty as students were still eating or playing somewhere else. Seungjun flopped sideways onto the couch next to the fireplace and landed with a loud _humphf_ that made his best friend laugh.

“Aren’t you a bit too at ease here for a Slytherin?”

“What? Why?” replied the blond, sitting up, his legs crossed and his hands on his ankles, looking at him with shiny eyes.

“You’re a Slytherin in Gryffindor’s common room,” started the red-haired boy, sitting down beside his friend. “And historically, our houses are supposed to be kind of enemies.”

Seungjun hummed, understanding where Hyojin was going.

“Maybe that’s because I should have been a Gryffindor.”

“No, definitely not,” laughed Hyojin, shaking his head.

“Maybe, but you would suit Slytherin.”

“What? Stop saying nonsense.”

“That’s my-”

_Meow._

The two students turned their heads in sync towards the noise. A comically large orange cat was looking at them with curious eyes.

“How can he be so big?” wondered Seungjun as he stretched to stroke the head of the animal.

“You know it?” Hyojin eyed him almost nervously, like he wasn’t sure what the cat would do. 

“I’ve seen him around a few times, yes.”

The two friends watched as the cat tried to join them on the couch, stretching first and then leaping heavily into Seungjun’s lap. It was so large Hyojin had to move in order to make some place between them. 

“You’re fat,” complained Hyojin. “Why are you bothering us when every other couch is empty?”

Seungjun laughed as the cat chirped and hit Hyojin in the neck with its tail, purring at the scratches the Slytherin gave him behind the ears. 

“I’m gonna call you Pumpkin! Big, round and orange. It’s perfect.”

Strangely, the cat meowed as he was answering him.

“He likes it!”

“No, I don’t think so,” Hyojin chuckled, still watching his friend. “Are you staying here tonight?”

“I want to!” Seungjun answered happily, glad his best friend had the same thought as him. His dark eyes were bright in the light from the fireplace. 

Their sleepovers happened more often than one would think possible. Somehow, over the years, the Gryffindors began to ignore the presence of Hyojin’s best friend. Seungjun loved the intimate mood that came with the late nights, how they would play games for hours in their pajamas in the common room before heading up to bed, whispering secrets that no one would know besides them and maybe the moon and stars. Sometimes they would sing, only as loud as a murmur but still just loud enough for them. They were songs that they both knew by heart through the years of discovering bands together. Music was one of the few things they never argued about.

“You can stay only if you don’t sleep talk.”

“How am I supposed to control that?” Seungjun whined.

“Just find a way! Last time I was only able to sleep after 4am.”

“I still tell you every time that you just have to wake me up!”

Hyojin grumbled an answer, and Seungjun knew that it was because his friend cared for him that he never was able to wake him, even after years of bickering about it.

“You know what? I’m gonna create a potion to stop people from sleep talking,” he announced, determination reflected in his eyes. 

Hyojin smiled at his words and Seungjun knew that his friend liked the idea.

“Hey, that’s not stupid. You could even sell it if it really works!”

Seungjun laughed out loud, almost forgetting that the cat was still on his lap. As he moved with his laughter, it shifted unhappily, letting out a soft sound of annoyance. 

“You mean, if I don’t become the best Quidditch player in the world, I could just create an anti-sleep-talking potion business?”

“If you really do it you have to credit me for the idea.”

“What idea? I’m the one that said that I was going to invent it!”

“I gave you the business idea, come on! I’ll just take…forty percent of your profit.”

“Forty percent?” he said incredulously. “Four percent sounds about right, and that’s just because I’m nice and generous for helping a poor boy like you.”

“Poor? Hey, I’m gonna become… rich!”

Seungjun laughed harder, and this time it was enough to make Pumpkin move away from him and lay down closer to Hyojin’s thighs.

“What a plan. When I become a professional Quidditch player, I’ll make sure to give you a salary. I don’t want to lose my best friend because he dies of hunger.” 

A cushion flew to hit Seungjun squarely in the face, making him laugh even more.

“Don’t hit a future celebrity like that!”

“Future celebrity my ass, you’re not even able to win over Lee Changyoon.”

Seungjun’s laughter died in his throat and he grimaced.

“Didn’t you watch my last match?”

“You think that was a victory? Slytherin’s supposed to be the best team in the tournament and even better against Hufflepuff, am I wrong? Winning by such a small margin isn’t that great, don’t you think?”

Seungjun opened his mouth only to close it in defeat. Hyojin had struck where it hurt.

“Don’t get me wrong, you were a perfect Seeker. And you’re usually an amazing captain too. But this time, I really wondered what went wrong. I thought you had a plan. But Changyoon clearly overtook you with his strategy.” He paused, hesitating to continue before finally letting out his thoughts, “You won by luck, mainly.”

“Why didn’t you tell me that sooner?” Seungjun mumbled reproachfully.

“Because I don’t play Quidditch the same way you do? I thought you and Jaeyoung would be able to point out the problem better than me.”

Seungjun groaned, tilting his head backwards against the sofa. He wasn’t mad at all. Maybe even glad that Hyojin had told him that. He trusted Hyojin’s opinion enough to know that he was right, but he couldn’t help blaming himself for having taken this victory as a way to show that everything he worked on for months finally paid off. He and Jaeyoung hadn’t even spoken about the match yet. 

It hurt his ego, of course, but his pride was not the main problem. The problem was that he still wasn’t _enough_. All the nights he spent finding new strategies and working them out during the day on the field for hours was still not enough to firmly be able to say that they were better than Hufflepuff’s team. That he was better than Lee Changyoon. He had to do more, again. 

“I know what you’re thinking.” Hyojin’s voice was quiet. 

Only the crackling sound from the open fire and the purring from the cat could be heard. Seungjun still didn't move, his eyes fixed on some imaginary place, lost in thoughts and regrets.

“I know that you know,” the younger finally mumbled.

“Focus on your exam. Quidditch can wait.”

Seungjun only sighed and he looked up when a warm hand brushed through his hair.

“Stop stressing over it, we all know you’ll reach your goal anyway.” Hyojin was leaning over the cat, looking at him with a gentle smile. “You don’t have to be the best Quidditch player that’s ever played at Hogwarts to become a professional player. Being the best player of your generation should be enough,” he reassured. 

Seungjun only nodded as an answer, knowing too well that he wouldn’t be able to fully follow his friend’s advice. He was too ambitious for his own good. 

“Should we play Exploding Snap? I’ll let you win for once if you want,” Hyojin suggested with a playful smirk. 

“As if I need your help to win,” retorted Seungjun, offended.

“Let’s see then,” Hyojin shrugged, standing up to look up for the game.

Seungjun watched him from afar, mechanically stroking the sleeping cat. He didn’t know why, but for an ephemeral second, he felt sad, as if all he possessed until now had just been an ethereal dream that he would wake up from at the next blink.

꧁꧂

Changyoon woke up on the morning of his birthday to a familiar weight on his ribs. Warm brown eyes blinked down at him with a look too mirthful and knowing for an average cat. Minkyun meowed and swished his tail, batting at his face with a large paw. 

“I told you to stop doing that,” Changyoon grumbled, but before he could shift to sit up, he was smothered by the weight of two human arms around his neck and a now normal-sized Minkyun on top of him. 

“Happy birthday!” the younger screeched over Changyoon’s shout, narrowly avoiding certain death by wrapping his limbs tightly around Changyoon so the elder couldn’t push him onto the floor. His buoyant laughter was mixed with someone else’s soft giggling, and it was then Changyoon noticed Yuto on the opposite bed watching what was taking place. 

Changyoon squirmed, eventually gaining leverage by using his knees to lift Minkyun off of himself and knocking him onto the mattress beside him.

“Both of you are evil,” he declared over Yuto’s cackles. The Ravenclaw paused to breathe with a wide smile on his face. 

“Happy birthday, Hyung!” His eyes were bright with joy. Changyoon had forgotten how much the younger adored Minkyun’s cat form. Yuto may have looked innocent, but the pair were noisy troublemakers together, especially with the advantage of Minkyun’s ability to be overlooked. 

“You’re going to get caught one day,” Changyoon said, looking pointedly at his roommate. Minkyun rolled his eyes and got up to sit next to Yuto on his own bed. 

“I think more people would notice me as a human walking around Ravenclaw Tower,” he shrugged, and Yuto nodded in agreement. An image of Minkyun meowing and scratching at the Ravenclaw door asking to be let in appeared in Changyoon’s mind, and he snorted. Biting back a rude comment, he sat up, taking in the state of their bedroom. 

Their shared room wasn’t huge, but it was the cozy standard for Hufflepuff dorms. It was large enough to fit two four-poster beds, one for Minkyun and one for Changyoon, a pair of dressers, and bedside tables for both of them. The walls were a soft golden color and a large circular window split the room in half, letting bright sunlight in. Minkyun’s side of the room was very...him. Trinkets and spell books lay haphazardly across any available surface, an organized mess with personality. Books he wasn’t using were piled messily at the foot of his bed, which Changyoon almost always kicked over trying to move around the room. By contrast, Changyoon kept everything that was his as tidy as possible. His dresser and bedside table held the few houseplants he had raised on his own and was allowed to keep. His books, being more advanced than Minkyun’s, were stacked in his trunk until he needed them.

Today, Minkyun’s side of the room was significantly tidier. 

Something was thrust into his lap and as he looked down he realized it was a handmade card. A warm fondness struck him as he took in the neatness of Yuto’s handwriting, which directly contrasted the chaos Minkyun had spread onto his own side of the parchment. 

_Happy birthday Changyoon-hyung!_

_We love you!_

_You’re 17!_

And countless doodles of cats and plants and hearts in bright colors from both of them. It was stupidly endearing. 

Changyoon smiled. For a moment it felt like his heart was too big for his body. “Thank you guys.”

He was not one to show affection, not that he hated it, it just wasn’t in his nature. But he grinned as he took in his friends’ sheepish expressions, a blush covering Yuto’s cheeks and a nervous smile on Minkyun’s face. Clambering out of his bed, Changyoon pulled both of them into an awkward hug—Minkyun pressing uncomfortably into his shoulder as Yuto was crushed into his chest. He made it last as long as he could until the younger boys began to squirm and complain in his arms. 

“Hyung!” Yuto whined. 

“That’s what you get,” he told him with a grave expression. 

Changyoon spent the rest of the morning with a bubbling happiness in his chest as he was fed far too many sweets to be called a breakfast and played simple wizards’ chess with his friends. His Quidditch team spent a considerable amount of time trying to sabotage his win with distractions, which worked, but the way Yuto’s face lit up as he realized he had beaten the elder was worth more than any victory for Changyoon. 

As the day slipped into golden rays and a rapidly darkening sky, Minkyun seemed more and more restless. By nighttime Yuto, who had stayed by Changyoon’s side the entire afternoon, had disappeared when Changyoon wasn’t looking, which was equally as strange. As they sat in their bedroom after dinner, Minkyun kept eyeing the door to the common room, like he was waiting for something to happen. 

“Kyun? Is everything okay?” The younger boy jumped, like he had been caught doing something wrong, and turned towards Changyoon with one of his signature smiles. 

“Yeah! Don’t worry about it,” he nodded. A heartbeat later a loud crash came from down the stairs, and Minkyun jumped to his feet in a panic. “I’ll go see what that was!” he announced. “You can stay here.” He was off before Changyoon could even stand up to join him. 

_That was weird._

Changyoon sat alone in their shared room for at least ten minutes, slowly growing more uneasy the longer Minkyun didn’t appear. What could’ve happened downstairs that was keeping him for so long? Sighing, he got to his feet and began to pad towards the common room.

He paused at the top of the stairs. There was a quiet murmur of voices below him, suggesting a significantly greater number of people than just his best friend taking care of whatever had happened. 

Finally, his curiosity got the better of him and he descended. 

“Should someone go get him?” he heard, and paused. _Him?_ Changyoon?

“Minkyun?” He called. The voices went silent immediately. He rounded the corner and was met with the sight of many of his classmates and friends watching the staircase warily.

Minkyun’s “Changyoon!” was nearly drowned by the chorus of loud _Happy birthday!_ 's as they saw him. He and Yuto were standing slightly apart from the group, holding a cake and grinning happily at him. To his surprise, Changyoon saw Shim Jaeyoung with a small group of Slytherins sitting on some of the sofas with a few of the Gryffindors he shared classes with. Actually, members of all the houses were there, smiling and waving at him.

It was when Changyoon vaguely remembered his friends planning a birthday party for him a week prior, and he laughed in disbelief. “Wow. Thank you.” 

Minkyun appeared at his side with a smile and pulled him into the crowd. Changyoon was greeted with many hugs and pats on the back, or shy smiles from some of the younger students. He may not be a prefect, but he was still popular enough among the others from his position as captain on the Quidditch team. 

Soon enough, food and drinks—smuggled from the Kitchens—were distributed amongst the group and Changyoon had to take a minute to appreciate his friends once again. 

“How did you pull this off?” he mumbled into Minkyun’s ear a little later as they sat together on one of the couches. The noise in the room was a little loud for definitely-past-curfew, and something in the back of his mind told him they could very easily get in trouble for hosting a party on _Christmas Eve._

His friend brightened at the question and sat up. “I got some of the prefects to promise they wouldn’t tell on us! And Yuto is very convincing. He helped me get the food!” 

Changyoon smiled and moved back into the couch. “Thank you. I love it.” The younger grinned back at him, clearly pleased with the outcome. 

Changyoon sat comfortably for a while, entertaining his friends’ questions about the last Quidditch match and giving himself the right to brag at least a little, even though they had lost in the end. His strategy had worked out almost perfectly, had the Slytherin team not captured the Snitch first. The Slytherins listening to the conversation smiled at this, not minding Changyoon’s teasing. 

He was just thinking about refilling his cup with whatever almost too-sweet drink Minkyun had provided when the room fell almost eerily silent. He looked up from the table in front of him in confusion, wondering if they were waiting for him to say something. However, no one was looking at him expectantly. Instead, his gaze fell on two people who had clearly just entered the room, standing awkwardly at the door. 

Lee Seungjun stared right back at him, Kim Hyojin standing nervously behind him. 

⁕⁕⁕

Hyojin had never been fond of parties, not as a child going to his neighbors’ houses, not in his first few years at Hogwarts, terrified he would be caught and punished for breaking curfew.

Maybe that was why he had been made a prefect.

Maybe that was why the room was dead silent as Minkyun’s friends’ gazes switched nervously between him and Seungjun.

Kim Hyojin, a notorious tattletale and literal prefect at a party after curfew. He had the most authority of any of them, could turn them all in to the professors in a heartbeat.

He wouldn’t.

Lee Changyoon was staring at Seungjun, his face giving away nothing of what he was thinking. Hyojin bit the inside of his cheek. Was it right to bring Seungjun here? Two years of rivalry separated him from Changyoon. They hadn’t gotten along, not even once. A pang of something like regret hit him. _Shit._ Maybe Seungjun was right to be hesitant in coming. 

He made eye contact with Park Minkyun. His face in turn was very clear: he was surprised they had even come. Slowly the younger Hufflepuff placed his hand on Changyoon’s shoulder. He gave Hyojin a small smile. The party had clearly been going on for a while, and they had managed to be late to the only event Hyojin had ever been invited to. 

Hyojin wished he could disappear. Wished he was more social, wished Seungjun didn’t have his stupid rivalry. Wished he could fix this. Wished he wasn’t selfish. 

He took a deep breath, stepping forward. Changyoon’s gaze flickered to him.

“Hi,” he started simply. Changyoon blinked. “Happy birthday.”

⁕⁕⁕

Jaeyoung noticed Hyojin and Seungjun before anyone else did. They hovered by the entrance to the dorm like they were hiding. 

Hyojin was nervous, Jaeyoung could tell that much. He stood a little behind Seungjun, watching the party with unblinking eyes. Seungjun looked like he was doing his best to school his expression. He stood stiffly, leaning slightly towards the older boy. 

He turned to say something to Hyojin and the room fell silent, noticing his movement. Jaeyoung watched Changyoon tense and Minkyun stand straighter. Yuto sat up in excitement.

It was an awkward stretch of nothing before Hyojin stepped forward. 

“Hi. Happy birthday.” The smile on his face was a little too shaky to be casual.

Behind him, Seungjun was clutching something close to his chest. A gift for Changyoon. For half a second as his best friend spoke, Seungjun’s eyes were panicked. Jaeyoung took a step into his line of sight and Seungjun saw him. He visibly relaxed.

“Hi,” he repeated Hyojin’s greeting. “This is for you.”

From behind Changyoon, Minkyun looked like he wanted the ground to swallow him whole. The entire room stared at the bag in Seungjun’s grasp. Seungjun’s eyes widened as he realized what they were thinking. He stumbled to correct them.

“I- it’s not- Hyojin-”

Jaeyoung pushed past the crowd and made his way to his side. He smiled warmly, first at Seungjun, then at Changyoon who seemed frozen in his seat.

Minkyun finally took the bag from Jaeyoung, who had pried it out of Seungjun’s clammy hands. “You made it!” he said. His voice was a little too loud in the silence of the room. People had broken off into whispers behind him. Seungjun nodded stiffly and offered an unsure smile, glancing at Changyoon. 

Jaeyoung let out a sharp laugh and patted both of them on the back, nodding at Hyojin who nodded back, unsure. “I’m glad you came.” To the rest of the party he announced, “Let’s play some games!” 

⁕⁕⁕

With Jaeyoung’s encouragement, the party went back to as normal as it could with the tension so clearly brewing between his friends. Minkyun had feared the worst inviting Hyojin and Seungjun and although nothing bad had happened, the reality of it left him burning with guilt as he watched Changyoon’s blank expression. 

Jaeyoung ushered the others away from them, clearly aware of the very necessary conversation Minkyun was about to have.

“I can explain,” he started, grimacing when Changyoon met his gaze evenly. The older waited patiently, betraying no emotion, and that almost made him guiltier.

“I invited Hyojin because he seemed lonely but he never really goes anywhere without Seungjun and if Hyojin was here Seungjun would be alone on Christmas Eve and I didn’t really think that was fair-”

“Minkyun,” Changyoon interrupted, “it’s okay.” 

Minkyun blinked, surprised. “It is?” 

Changyoon huffed and rolled his eyes. “Do you think I actually hate him? He’s annoying as hell, sure, but I know you’re too nice to invite literally every single one of his friends here and exclude him.” 

“Oh,” Minkyun said. “Okay.” Changyoon rolled his eyes again and slapped him on the shoulder. 

“Idiot.” 

⁕⁕⁕

Seungjun had thought attending this party was a bad idea from the start, and the other students’ reactions had confirmed his fears. He had thought about running away the moment Changyoon noticed them, as pathetic as that was. He wasn’t supposed to be ashamed but something about the whole situation made him feel so. And hiding like a coward behind Hyojin hadn’t helped. 

He was watching his friends playing some games, arguing over if Minkyun had just lost or not. He had decided not to participate, still too uncomfortable to try anything. Hyojin was genuinely laughing, Jaeyoung with an arm around his shoulders trying to convince Changyoon that he was wrong about the rules and that Minkyun should continue to play. 

It was weird. The weirdness of something new, but not really _right._ Like something was missing. 

In the end, it seemed like Changyoon had finally given up and was eliminated instead. Their eyes met and Changyoon seemed to hesitate before coming to sit on the empty chair next to Seungjun. 

Which was even weirder.

“Why don’t you come play? You're acting like someone's punished you.”

Seungjun shrugged, not being able to look at Changyoon as he continued to watch Hyojin having fun.

“I don’t like this game anyway.”

“Just say you’re bad at it.”

Seungjun winced and finally turned to look at his rival, who was grinning widely at him. But it wasn’t mean, more like the one Hyojin gave him when he was teasing Seungjun and expected a reaction.

“Exactly the opposite, I don’t want to humiliate everyone with my skills,” he answered without thinking too much.

“You should join the next game.”

“Maybe I should, yeah.”

Suddenly, Yuto called for Changyoon as it seemed they needed him to make a decision as a referee. Watching him leave and immediately having fun with Seungjun’s own friends made him bitter. He swallowed around the ugly feeling, willing it to go away. _Don’t be selfish._

Seungjun pulled his bag into his lap, taking out some ingredients he had prepared earlier. As he had predicted, Minkyun had provided drinks that would be easy to work into alcohol. He had seen his parents do it countless times, but had never been allowed to try it himself. He had learned the recipe just before coming, his confidence in Potions meaning he had left his written notes behind. 

Going by memory, he started to pour the ingredients into the cup between his thighs, focusing on not dropping anything onto the carpet. When he was halfway done, slim hands came to steal what he was holding.

“Hey!”

“We said no pranks,” warned Hyojin, glaring at Seungjun with narrow eyes through his glasses.

“Do you really think I would make up a prank like this, in front of everyone? Come on, I’m not stupid to that extent and you know it,” he retorted, stretching out his hand for Hyojin to give him back the vials he had pulled from him.

“Okay,” the prefect gave up, “but come to play with us now. you look like a lost puppy here alone.”

“Give me a minute, I’ll be fast.”

Hyojin smiled, turning back to be met with hopeful whispers from the others.

Seungjun’s eyes met with Changyoon’s for a second, and even if he went back to focus on his potion immediately, he could swear he saw the Hufflepuff smile at him.

After a few more minutes of fumbling with his drink, he went to join the group, completely forgetting about the potion.

⁕⁕⁕

  
  


“Yuto you’re so bad at this!” 

The young Ravenclaw pouted as Seungjun laughed at him. He had been eliminated first for the third time in a row. 

“I don’t know this game, I'm not used to it...” he tried to explain in vain, all of his friends already concentrating on what to play next.

It was weird.

Not bad, just weird to see Changyoon and Seungjun sitting together without loud arguments (they still taunted each other at every chance they could, but that was still a huge improvement). Yuto was definitely the happiest seeing both sides enjoying their night, especially after how stressed they had all been about the outcome of the party because of the rivalry. It had turned out better than he was expecting, and he couldn’t help but to hope things would stay this way once the excitement of the night wore off. 

“It’s already past midnight! We forgot the presents!” Minkyun shrieked, disappearing into the corridor leading to the boys’ dorm.

“I was winning!” complained Changyoon, despite how his eyes were shining happily.

Minkyun came back as fast as he had left, holding a little golden package. As his friend sat down, a hand was placed on Yuto’s shoulder and a little box appeared in front of him. Jaeyoung winked at him and tilted his head toward Changyoon to indicate that Yuto should be the one to give him the gift they bought together. Yuto felt grateful for the gesture but took Jaeyoung’s hand to guide him to his friend, handing their gift to Changyoon together. 

“It’s from Jaeyoung-hyung and me,” he explained, smiling at Changyoon’s surprised and grateful face.

“Thank you guys. What is it?” he asked dumbly while opening the wrapping with his wand, the pretty ribbons untying by themselves. 

Yuto had been looking forward to his friend's reaction and squeezed Jaeyoung’s hand a bit tighter. When Changyoon opened the box, he promptly looked up at the pair, confusion clear in his eyes. 

“Is that-”

Jaeyoung nodded and Changyoon opened his mouth, looking at the seeds one more time before looking at the two boys standing in front of him.

“I- What- How?”

“You should thank Yuto for knowing you pretty well, I guess,” Jaeyoung answered.

“But they’re so rare! And you found the exact number needed to grow them? Come on, tell me how you got them and where they were,” he pleaded. 

“Jaeyoung-hyung bought them,” explained Yuto, a bit embarrassed that the story Changyoon was expecting wasn’t that epic.

Changyoon blinked, focusing on Jaeyoung a few seconds before exclaiming a loud “You’re _that_ rich?!” which made Jaeyoung laugh and Yuto feel lost about the exact situation.

“It’s my turn now!” Minkyun interrupted, sitting next to Changyoon and shoving his gift into the face of the poor boy.

Changyoon didn’t hesitate to open it after hitting Minkyun in the arm, and thanked his friend at the sight of new Quidditch gloves. Yuto remembered how Changyoon complained once about almost having holes in his old pair. 

A voice clearing interrupted the duo’s happy chatting and Yuto turned around to see Seungjun holding a rectangular box, Hyojin hiding behind him as if he was still shy even after their round of games. 

“We also thought about something for you.”

Changyoon carefully took the box and squinted at Seungjun, clearly doubtful of his intentions.

“Will this explode in my face?”

Seungjun rolled his eyes in disbelief.

“I wish it would, but sadly no. Hyojin would have killed me and it was his idea anyway.”

“Oh,” Changyoon’s eyes wandered from Seungjun to the boy behind him, “Thank you, then.”

It was kind of obvious that Changyoon wasn’t fully trusting of Seungjun’s words, moving the box far from his face as he opened it. When nothing happened, he looked into the box in surprise before pulling out a middle-sized vial filled with a brown liquid that seemed suspicious even to Yuto.

“Are you _sure_ this won’t explode in my face?” Changyoon muttered without much surprise.

“It’s fertilizer, so obviously if you drink it weird things would happen to you. If you don’t trust me, just try it on some random plants before anything that’s important to you. I put a letter in the box for the quantity to use and things like that.”

After a moment, Changyoon let out a small “thank you,” looking up at the two boys.

And Yuto felt proud, once again. 

“Happy birthday, Hyung!” Yuto smiled, making Changyoon giggle a bit.

“Thank you. This has been the best birthday party I’ve had in my life, thanks to you all.” Changyoon was shy, speaking softly, scratching his neck without daring to look at them. 

Minkyun hugged him out of nowhere, almost making Changyoon drop the fertilizer still carefully clasped in his fingers, the Hufflepuff scolding him right away for his clumsiness. 

“Should we play again?” Minkyun eluded, already on his feet ready to go back to their previous atmosphere. 

They all agreed, getting up to set up the board for a new version of Wizard’s Chess as Yuto slipped away. Minkyun shot him a questioning look, to which he mimed drinking from a glass. The evening’s shouting had dried his throat, and he was thirsty. His friend nodded and went back to what he was doing. 

Yuto had forgotten where he had left his cup a few hours ago, as the whole room had been getting messier with time. Tracing back to where he thought he might have been earlier, he came to where Seungjun had sat alone before joining their game of Exploding Snap. Two cups rested on the floor next to the sofa. Without caring much, he picked one, feeling bad because he was almost sure it was Seungjun’s own drink. For some reason the sticky-sweet liquid seemed to taste different, but it quenched his thirst and he turned back towards his friends, satisfied.

When Yuto joined the five other boys, he was greeted by more teasing from his friends, challenging him to be better than their last games. He sipped at the odd-tasting drink and won the first round, loud cheers going up around the table. 

⁕⁕⁕

It happened too quickly.

The guests had all filed out, back to their dorms with quick steps and hushed voices, trying not to get caught. Jaeyoung, Hyojin, and Seungjun had taken the longest to leave. Minkyun was looking highly pleased with himself, drifting around the common room and tidying up the telltale signs of a party. Changyoon himself was riding on some sort of elation, relief that it was over, residual excitement from seeing his friends, content with the day’s activities. He was a year older.

The state of the room wasn’t as bad as he had thought. Plates would be easy to get rid of and most of the games they had played had already been returned to where they belonged. He smiled to himself as he reached for something to tidy, lost in his thoughts. He had actually gotten along with Seungjun well. 

“Minkyun-hyung?”

Changyoon turned, confused. 

Yuto stood behind him looking pale. He was holding the cup he’d been nursing for the past half hour loosely in his hand and watching Changyoon with blank eyes, like he’d just woken up from a nap on his feet.

“Are y-”

“Hyung-” he said again, almost urgently. Changyoon took a step towards him. 

Yuto collapses. 

Changyoon is slammed with several emotions as he watches his friend crumple to the floor and in a heartbeat it’s all drowned out by fear. His mouth tastes like burnt chocolate, or like something died in it. He hears someone shouting and it’s probably himself but Yuto is in his arms and he’s not responding to his calls and a second later Minkyun is beside him looking as shocked as he feels. His heartbeat is in his ears as he pulls the younger boy closer to his chest, repeating his name over and over but not hearing the words leaving his own mouth. Yuto doesn’t stir, but Changyoon thinks he might be breathing even if the knowledge brings him almost no relief. Minkyun is on his feet, pacing to the door of the common room and back towards him several times before he notices something on the floor and goes to pick it up. Changyoon feels like his brain has been replaced with static as he watches him. 

It was the cup Yuto had been holding, but inside is what’s left of a drink Changyoon knows couldn’t be from the Kitchens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for taking your time to read this super long chapter! We are really proud of how this fic is going!! let's meet again for chap 3~
> 
> Kami & Abi


	3. LETHE, n. The River of Unmindfulness

His head hurt. His brain felt like it had been knocked sideways, or pushed down the stairs. What alarmed him more, though, was the fact that he couldn’t feel half of his body, that his saliva tasted like acid. 

The voices, too.

Voices he didn’t recognise washed over him. A panicked back and forth, talking nonsense with words he wasn’t able to comprehend. 

Yuto opened his eyes and it took him a few seconds to understand where he was. _The_ _Hufflepuff dorm._ The lamp beside him lit the room in a hazy glow. It was almost too bright, and he squinted unhappily. Eventually, his gaze focused on two boys, older than he was, standing over him. He managed to put names to their faces after a few slow blinks. His friends.

Minkyun was the first to notice that Yuto had awoken, the boy scrambling to kneel down next to the bed and pushing his face dangerously close into Yuto’s space.

“ _Yuto!_ How are you feeling?”

“I’m okay, I think…” His voice sounded weaker than he had expected. It shook a little with effort.

“Do you remember what happened?” Changyoon wasn’t smiling. Yuto had never seen Changyoon look that serious before. He seemed pale too, but maybe it was because of the yellow lighting. 

“I don’t,” Yuto answered, starting to feel a little like he was drifting away from them. The room began to tilt on its axis as he watched his friends fuss over him. 

What had happened? How did he end up on Minkyun’s bed, feeling nauseous? He tried to remember and came up with nothing. The only memory he could conjure was the beginning of Changyoon’s birthday party as the older boy had come down the stairs—after that it was a black hole. 

“You should rest for now,” Minkyun tried to soothe.

But Yuto couldn’t stop staring at Changyoon, at his panicked eyes and how his pupils were slightly trembling.

“Did I ruin the party?”

“What? No!” Minkyun hurriedly answered, shaking his hands in front of him. He patted Yuto’s shoulder as a comforting gesture, but it made him feel dizzier. 

“You collapsed,” Changyoon murmured in a voice that Yuto hadn’t heard from him before. 

It was almost as if he could hear tears. 

“I- I don’t remember anything, I’m sorry for worrying you.” He took a deep breath. Talking took so much work. 

Their voices felt blurry again, the words forming a capharnaum of unknown syllabes, unfamiliar tones coming from friendly faces. 

“Yuto? Hey, Yuto can you hear me?”

“Hmm? What?” He blinked slowly up at the older. 

“I think you spaced out,” Minkyun said worriedly, “Should we go to the infirmary?”

“No,” Changyoon dismissed immediately, “if we go then they’ll know about the party. I don’t want anyone else to get involved. Let’s at least wait a few hours for the morning to come.”

Yuto nodded, agreeing with what Changyoon just said, smiling a bit at Minkyun to reassure his friend even as he felt barely conscious.

“What time is it?” he asked when Minkyun stood up and came back with a glass of water for him.

“Almost 4AM, you slept quite a lot,” the fourth-year told him, handing him the glass. 

Yuto mumbled a “thank you” before drinking it in one go. But it didn’t change anything about the dryness of his throat. The sharp pain that was coming from the front of his head increased tenfold.

“Changyoon, you should-” was the only thing he heard before his ears started to buzz. 

First, he thought it was simply his nausea coming back stronger. But then, he realised it was something else, something deeper, something stranger. 

His body started to shake like it wanted to eject something. He didn’t have control over it—rough coughs tearing out of his throat and beginning to hurt quite quickly, forcing the Ravenclaw to fold in half as he held his throat with one hand, scrabbling for air in the midst of burning pain. 

Like that, with his body trembling uncontrollably and his vision starting to get blurrier and blurrier every second, he was able to see it on the creamy sheets. 

Blood.

꧁꧂

He could tell that Yuto had been phasing in and out of consciousness for the past few minutes. Whatever had been in that drink was _not_ a joke. But Minkyun didn’t have time to think about that. 

His first priority was Yuto’s health; everything else had been pushed to the back of his mind. Changyoon had never been good with stress, and frankly he was more of a distraction than anything beneficial at the moment, so Minkyun was losing his grip on staying level-headed as the older boy fidgeted and paced relentlessly. Changyoon’s face had passed through the five stages of grief at least twice now, and he seemed to be working on a third round. Occasionally his expression would harden and a flicker of rage would cross his features before he’d go back to trembling with worry over their bedridden friend. 

Handing the glass of water to Yuto, Minkyun had turned to the elder saying, “Changyoon, you should sit down.”

He watched a look of horror break across his friend’s face and whipped around at the sound of desperate coughing. Yuto’s small frame was shaking violently with each inhale and Minkyun went to slam a hand into his back before stopping short at the sight before him. 

Tiny spots of blood were blossoming onto his bedsheets, startlingly vibrant as they left their stains. 

“Yuto!” Changyoon cried, launching himself at the mattress. “Hey, hey, it’s okay,” he desperately stroked the younger’s back, trying to get his body to calm down enough to let him breathe. Thick tears were rolling off of Yuto’s cheeks as he choked on air and Changyoon wiped his thumb across the other’s face, collecting them. 

“Minkyun,” Changyoon stated suddenly. His gaze was intense, a level of seriousness Minkyun hadn’t ever seen from the other. The next words out of his mouth were even more of a shock. 

“Go get Jaeyoung.”

“ _What?”_

“Shim Jaeyoung-”

“I know who that is!”

“-the Slytherin, go get him. He’s smarter than both of us, he’ll know what to do.” Changyoon was looking away from him, like it had already been settled. Yuto had stopped gasping for air and was blinking blearily up at the elder, leaning back into his arms and trembling as if he were cold. 

Minkyun huffed but he couldn’t disagree. It was clear how much Jaeyoung cared for Yuto, and he would, despite Minkyun inevitably ruining his sleep schedule, be more level-headed than both him and Changyoon put together. 

“How am I supposed to get—it’s _four o’clock in the morning_ ,” he hissed, standing by the doorway already. It was a losing battle, he just didn’t want to leave Yuto’s side. But Yuto had started to really doze off. He would be fine for the next few minutes, at least. Changyoon sent him another pointed look and Minkyun rolled his eyes, shifting into a cat. 

It was darker than he had expected outside of their dorms. He wasn’t used to the corridors being so quiet; it was like the world was holding its breath and waiting. Minkyun hated it.

He bounded as quietly as he could towards the dungeons, his large paws taking him faster than if he had run on two feet. Briefly he wondered how he would find Jaeyoung, slipping slightly on the stones as he skidded to a halt in front of the stretch of wall that would open into the common room beyond. 

It wasn’t like he could _Alohomora_ his way into the Slytherin dormitory—he had left his wand behind anyways. He didn’t know the password, either, kept a secret from everyone except the Slytherins themselves. He knew there were multiple entrances, but he didn’t have the time or the energy to find another one. 

He let out a low yowl in frustration, scratching at the stones in annoyance. _Please._

Suddenly, the wall started to shudder before him before a small opening appeared, like a doorway shrunk down for his size. _No way_ , he thought. A doorway for cats. Ones that weren’t his size, but still. It took him a lot longer than he wanted, but he managed to push his frame through, panting with effort as he came out on the other side. 

The Slytherin common room was, unsurprisingly, empty. The early hours kept the depths of the Lake dark, and the only source of light came from weak flames in the fireplace and in green-tinted candles hanging from the ceiling. It was cold, as if he were outside in the snow, and Minkyun felt himself lucky to have such thick fur as he sat on the floor and regarded the room with contempt. 

Now that he was here, he had no idea where Jaeyoung slept. But he didn’t have time to hesitate, the thought of blood on his sheets reminding him why he had come. He paced for a moment, indecisive as he tried to scent the air. The overwhelming spices and sweets that accompanied the holiday season overpowered anything familiar he could trace here. He would have to guess and check and he was running out of time. 

The first room he entered struck him with the scent of floral perfume, sickly and sweet and definitely not Jaeyoung. In the low light, he could make out several small bodies and quickly he realized that the dorms were organized by age and gender. Jaeyoung was the same age as Seungjun, a fifth-year, and Minkyun hurried further down the corridor.

He stopped a few doors down from the end, making an educated guess as he scented the air. This time he was greeted with a familiar warm scent, like wood on a fire, and he sighed in relief as he shifted to enter the room. He could see Jaeyoung’s frame on the bed closest to the door and he rushed to his side, panic starting to settle in his chest. 

Suddenly, he heard rustling from the other side of the room. Someone else was there. Minkyun froze, his hand extended to shake the elder awake, fear gripping at him as he remembered exactly what this would look like. It would not do him well to be caught hovering over another student from another house in the early hours of the morning. 

“What are you doing?” came a tired voice. It was _Seungjun._

Minkyun panicked, shifting back as fast as he could and leaping onto Jaeyoung’s bed, landing beside his wide shoulders as his senses sharpened. Blinking, he realized the other Slytherin was still asleep, talking to something in his dreams. Minkyun released the breath he was holding and became aware of the other scent in the room, _mint_. In his haste to reach Jaeyoung, he had forgotten to check if anyone else was there. Pricking his ears, he listened for a moment. Even breathing came from the other bed. He had escaped detection.

As he sat there listening, he realized with a start that Jaeyoung’s breath had disappeared. Surprised, he blinked down at the other, just as a hand grabbed his chest. _Oh._

_꧁꧂_

There was a cat in his bed. 

No, there was a very _large_ cat in his bed that had woken him up by landing right next to his head and making a very odd noise as it looked at Seungjun. Now the cat was looking at him.

“Hello,” Jaeyoung said. His voice was rusty with sleep as he pet its chest. It seemed startled, probably hadn’t expected him to touch it. Or to be awake. 

“How did you get in here?” he mused, eyeing the open door as he sat up. The cat meowed at him quietly and he laughed. But then the cat meowed again, like it was trying to tell him something. It jumped over his lap and landed heavily on the floor before turning and sitting with its tail over it’s paws. It meowed again.

“Are you hungry?” he wondered. The cat simply got to its feet and walked to the door before sitting again. _Meow._

Jaeyoung got out of bed and followed it out into the corridor. The floor was cold beneath his bare feet, and he wondered if he was dreaming. He heard a yowl from the common room and picked up the pace. What did it want?

The cat was pawing at the wall that would lead them out and into the dungeons. Jaeyoung smiled a little in disbelief. Its dark eyes turned upon him, almost as if it were pleading, and Jaeyoung chuckled as he bent to pick it up.

“Are you stuck in here?” he let out huff as he stood up, not expecting the cat to be so heavy. The cat purred a little and put its head on his shoulder for a moment before squirming and letting out another impatient sound, like it was telling him to hurry up. 

Jaeyoung walked with the cat in his arms through the dungeons, not exactly sure what to do. His toes were starting to go numb and the chilled air bit at his exposed skin, but the furry body beside him was warm and he was grateful for even a little heat. He wasn’t sure where to go, taking the cat up and out of the dungeons until he found himself in the corridor he would take to get to the Great Hall.

“There you go,” he said quietly, setting the cat down. But instead of running away like he had thought it would, the cat simply sat with its tail over its paws again, staring up at him expectantly. 

Jaeyoung laughed again. It was early in the morning, he was freezing to death, and there was a cat looking at him like it was waiting for him to follow. 

He watched as the cat stood once again and took his pajama pants into its mouth, tugging with a muffled purring sound. 

“Okay, okay. Show me what you need,” Jaeyoung conceded. The cat chirped pleasantly and turned to run towards the Great Hall. 

Several minutes later, Jaeyoung was stopped in front of the Hufflepuff dormitory as the cat leapt onto the barrels. 

“This is crazy,” he muttered, “I don't even remember the password.”

The cat let out an almost indignant sound at this, like it had actually understood him. To his disbelief, it lept onto one of the taller barrels and drummed out a pattern with its paws before disappearing into the opening that had appeared at the sound of the rhythm. 

Jaeyoung followed, as the cat clearly wanted him to. 

The Hufflepuff common room was _warm._ Jaeyoung almost sighed in relief at the change in temperature as he stepped onto the heated floors. Despite the early hours, it was lit by a bright fireplace that kept the room bright as it reflected off of yellow walls. Looking around, he realized the others had tidied up the party nicely. No one would have known it had taken place had they not been there. 

The cat was sitting at the bottom of the staircase that Changyoon had descended a few hours earlier, its orange fur illuminated by the fire. 

“Why-” Jaeyoung blinked and suddenly Minkyun was standing before him, grabbing his wrist and pulling him up the stairs. 

“It’s Yuto, he’s-”

“ _Minkyun?”_

Minkyun turned to look at him with an uncharacteristically serious expression. “We don’t have _time_ for that right now, _Yuto’s sick.”_

Something about the way he said it pressed a reset button on Jaeyoung’s brain. He followed obediently, trying to wrap his mind around what had just happened and what was happening. 

“What took you so long?” a voice greeted them. Lee Changyoon sat looking pale but annoyed at Yuto’s side. The Ravenclaw boy was extremely white, trembling in his sleep and wheezing a little with every breath. Jaeyoung didn’t miss the spots of red on the sheets that covered his body. 

“What happened?” Jaeyoung asked at the same time Minkyun responded, “Couldn't figure out how to get into the Slytherin dorm.”

Yuto shifted like he was uncomfortable and Changyoon’s gaze snapped to him instantly. 

“He collapsed when we were cleaning up,” Changyoon stated. His voice was flat, like he was defeated. “We don’t know what happened.”

Minkyun had moved to the other side of the room as Changyoon was speaking, picking something up to show Jaeyoung. 

“This is all we have.”

  
꧁꧂

Hyojin woke up early despite the time he had gone to sleep, excited to discover the presents that were waiting for him at the foot of his bed. During the holidays, he and Seungjun would spend as much time as they could together, and they usually met before they opened their gifts together to make it more enjoyable for each other. Nonetheless, the simple anticipation of seeing what his parents had sent him was already enough to leave Hyojin in a special mood. 

He got dressed quickly, counting from afar the number of gifts that he could see stacked beside his bedpost. Three presents, more than enough, and he could already see that one of them was from Seungjun’s family. 

Their parents had known each other even before they were born, which had naturally led to the friendship between the two boys. Both of Seungjun’s parents were Aurors, as well as Hyojin’s mother (while his father worked at the Ministry), so the pair often spent more time together than with their families. Most of Hyojin’s foundational memories came with bright laughter and a smaller boy beside him, until Seungjun grew to be a little taller. Yet neither of them had ever complained; they had a happy childhood leaning on each other for everything. 

Once Hyojin was ready, he carefully took each present into his arms and left the empty dormitory for the Great Hall, humming along with the different carol songs the ghosts and statues were singing. He couldn’t have been happier; yesterday’s party had been a blast and he hadn’t had that much fun in a while. He had no regret forcing Seungjun to accompany him in the end, and he could tell that his best friend had secretly enjoyed it as much as he did. And now it was Christmas, meaning that this meal would be the nicest one of the year and he would spend the day eating sweets and spending more time with Seungjun. 

When he passed through the doors of the Great Hall, he was met with a nearly vacant but splendid room. The decorations were bright and festive, the entire space filled with silver and gold. Hyojin set the presents beside him on the bench as he sat down at the table before starting to eat without waiting, knowing that Seungjun would come late with his tendency to sleep in during the holidays. 

After a few minutes, the ghost of Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington appeared through the table before taking place next to him, hovering above the seat.

“Good morning, Sir,” Hyojin saluted him with a smile, quite happy to have some company.

“Good morning, our dear prefect. Your partner in crime is not with you on this beautiful Christmas morning?” the Gryffindor ghost asked.

“Seungjun isn’t my partner in crime. He does crime and I stop him.”

“That’s not what I heard recently.” Hyojin couldn’t help but to roll his eyes at the reminder of what had happened to Hufflepuff’s dorm.

“That was an accident, Nick.”

“Yesterday was an accident too?” A cheeky smile formed on the man’s face as he watched Hyojin’s expression closely. 

Hyojin frowned and squinted at him, surprised that the ghost was aware of what they did for Changyoon’s birthday.

“Is a birthday party a crime? Have you talked about it to someone else? Don’t tell me you said something in front of the professors-” Hyojin panicked, lowering his voice just in case.

“Don’t worry, young man, I may be old but I still know how to keep secrets, especially when it comes to something as innocent as this.”

Hyojin sighed in relief and thanked the dead man.

“And to answer you, Seungjun is sleeping, I think. You know, because of yesterday. I’m waiting for him.”

The other’s gaze wandered next to Hyojin and rested on the presents.

“How adorable! I bet you must be impatient to open them. Shall I go and wake him up for you?”

Hyojin giggled at the offer.

“Thank you, but I don’t think the Bloody Baron would enjoy seeing you in Slytherin’s dorm waking up one of his students on Christmas morning.”

“Well, you’re not wrong, but it would be an interesting way to spend Christmas, don’t you think?”

Hyojin laughed again, “You’re not that different from Seungjun.”

The ghost grimaced, apparently feeling offended by such a statement.

“Maybe you think so because we are both good-looking. I’ll take it as a compliment.”

Hyojin didn’t deny this, even if he thought about joking about it. He still wasn’t sure what the limits of humor were for the five-hundred-year-old ghost.

“Oh, it seems like someone is looking for you. Have a nice Christmas, Kim Hyojin,” the ghost concluded. Smiling, he pulled on his head to reveal his severed neck as he did to frighten first-years before drifting away.

Hyojin was confused for a moment, not understanding what Nicholas had meant until his eyes landed on Lee Changyoon, who had seemingly just entered the Great Hall and was fixing Hyojin from afar. Shyly, Hyojin waved with a little smile, gathering his courage to not stop the improvement in their relationship from last night.

Changyoon didn’t move in response. Instead, his eyes flickered to the professors’ table before landing on Hyojin again.

Even from afar, Hyojin could tell his eyes were filled with fear.

Without waiting any longer, Hyojin stood up and walked to him, Changyoon immediately leaving the room the moment he noticed Hyojin was following him. 

The Hufflepuff stopped once they were out of sight from anyone staying in the Great Hall.

“We need you,” Changyoon’s voice was weak and trembling and Hyojin noticed his eyebags and messy hair—something clearly abnormal knowing the Hufflepuff. He hadn’t even changed his clothes since the party. 

“What is it? Did something happen?” The prefect was far too used to people asking him for help and immediately started to worry. Especially when it was coming from Lee Changyoon— the boy was the one creating problems usually. He knew how to handle anything by himself thanks to a _certain_ Slytherin’s weekly pranks. 

“Something did happen. It’s- I don’t know how- I don’t-”

“Hey, take your time, alright?”

Changyoon nodded and Hyojin awkwardly patted his shoulder in hopes to ease him a bit. The younger seemed exhausted, emotionally drained even. Subconsciously, he twisted his fingers in his hand. 

“I’ll show you.”

Hyojin was a bit skeptical at that but silently followed the Hufflepuff. He wasn’t surprised when he understood that they were going to the Hufflepuff dorm, but his worries started to increase; did something wrong happen during the party? Had he not noticed? As a prefect, he would definitely be held responsible, whatever had happened. 

To prevent Changyoon from messing up the rhythmical code, Hyojin gently offered to do it and they entered without further problems. The younger boy nodded his thanks, hands still trembling slightly. Hyojin was reassured to see that the common room wasn’t such a mess, even if he knew that some cleaning had been done during the night. 

As they headed to the boys’ bedrooms, he started to wonder if the problem was related to Minkyun. The boy wasn’t sticking to Changyoon for once, a detail that left him feeling a little unsettled. 

“I hope it’s not a prank or something-” he started to joke but stopped the moment Changyoon opened the door.

Minkyun and Jaeyoung were discussing something quietly, stopping as they noticed Changyoon’s return. But Hyojin’s vision immediately focused on Yuto. He was asleep, lying flat on the bed, but Hyojin _knew_ something was wrong. He turned to the three boys, losing patience as his nerves grew worse.

“What happened?” His voice sounded intimidating, but only because he was scared of the answer.

“We don’t know, really,” Changyoon mumbled and Minkyun came to pat his shoulder in a reassuring gesture.

“How can you not know? Why am I here?!” Hyojin felt panic claw its way up his throat as he looked back at the Ravenclaw’s small frame. 

“Yuto is sick, hyung,” Jaeyoung stated and Hyojin could see the worry in his eyes.

“Not just _sick_ ,” Minkyun corrected, “We _think_ he got poisoned.”

“ _Excuse me?_ ” Hyojin couldn’t believe that. “It’s a prank, right? Come on, it’s Christmas I don’t have time for this, it’s not funny at all-”

Until the Hufflepuff showed him the cup. _Seungjun’s._

“What’s with- What is the meaning of this?”

“Your best friend wanted to prank me but apparently Yuto drank it before he was able to reach his target,” Changyoon declared. The tremble had left his voice for a moment, like this was the only thing he was sure of. 

“No…! He didn’t want to prank anyone he was just-”

“Then how do you explain this?!” Changyoon was on the verge of tears again and Minkyun made him sit on one of the beds, staying by his side as the older boy hid his face in his hands.

“What are we even doing here? Jaeyoung, let’s bring him to the infirmary-”

“No!” 

They all turned towards Yuto in a synchronized move.

“Don’t, please… If you tell the professors they will...they will expel Seungjun-hyung.” The youngest hadn’t moved, but as he spoke he looked straight at Hyojin. 

Hyojin froze. 

“If we explain it clearly I’m sure that-” he tried before stopping by himself, realising where this was going. 

It was too much. Seungjun already had a poor reputation for his pranks, and harming another student was serious enough to put anyone on thin ice. So, Lee Seungjun? 

He was screwed. Hyojin couldn’t protect him. 

“Yuto, do you remember what happened?”

“He doesn’t remember anything,” Changyoon stopped him. 

“We have to get Seungjun. I’m sure he noted the antidote. He isn’t dumb, especially with potions I know he- he is always careful.” Anger started to bubble inside of Hyojin’s stomach. Would Seungjun really do something so careless?

“If I see his face I can’t assure you that I won’t hurt him,” Changyoon warned in a low voice, looking right into Hyojin’s eyes.

“Neither can I.”

꧁꧂

Seungjun woke up to an empty room, which was odd, but not unlike Jaeyoung to leave him alone if he slept late. 

What _was_ unusual, though, was that the curtains were still drawn, leaving the room cast in a dull light. Jaeyoung was usually adamant that they let as much sun in as possible during the winter, even if it was annoyingly bright in the mornings. _It helps keep the room warm, dude, I hate when my feet are cold._

But there was no sign of Jaeyoung and the curtains were closed. And, Seungjun realized as he sat up, it was Christmas. 

Oh _shit_. How long had Hyojin been waiting?

He stumbled out of his covers, tripping over the few presents that were piled on the floor beside his bed. Hastily he pulled the first thick sweater he could find over his pajamas, despite it being suspiciously a little too large. He could have sworn he had eaten plenty at the party last night, but his stomach grumbled angrily as he gathered his things and made his way towards the Great Hall in a rush. 

Hyojin was nowhere to be seen. A couple of Gryffindor students sat together at the end of their table, but the rest of the seats remained empty. Seungjun pouted, making his way to where they usually sat together. Had the other grown tired of waiting?

Seungjun sat alone, a little hurt at the implication of his friend's impatience. Did he meet up with someone else? Absentmindedly, Seungjun stretched out his leg, his foot knocking into something and making it skid across the stone floor. Surprised, he looked under the table to find a small stack of gifts, evidently Hyojin’s, hiding beneath the tablecloth. 

Sighing, he piled their packages together. Both of his friends had abandoned him with no warning on a holiday morning. 

That was fine. He could eat breakfast alone. 

He began setting food onto the plate before him, wondering if he should save something for Hyojin. A spark of unbidden annoyance went through him and he decided he would let the other boy suffer with whatever was left. He had sat there for a while already, clearly out of place in his dark green sweater at the wrong table. Everyone that knew him was accustomed to it already, but alone the weird looks he garnered made him squirm a little. 

He waited a while longer, wondering if he was the butt of some kind of joke for once. Maybe he deserved it. His food sat untouched as the minutes stretched on, and finally he gave into his hunger. 

A mouthful into his meal, someone grabbed the back of his shirt and _tugged,_ forcing him to stop chewing in shock as he whipped his head towards them. 

Hyojin stood over him with a dark look on his face, the usual light in his eyes missing. In fact, his eyebrows were drawn together sharply, and his jaw was clenched like he was trying to restrain himself. He was _furious_. 

The food in Seungjun’s mouth went tasteless. 

“I thought we said no pranks, Seungjun.”

“What?” he choked out around his food. The collar of his sweater dug uncomfortably into his neck as Hyojin pulled him to his feet. He scrambled up willingly, nearly tripping over the bench to stand up straight in the process. 

“What the hell are you playing at?” Hyojin wasn’t trying to be quiet as he grit his teeth and glared and Seungjun blinked, dumbfounded. Hyojin was easy to tease because the younger could pull his strings so easily, but when he raised his voice it was usually in annoyance over anything else. His voice now was even and quiet. 

“I mean it, Seungjun, what the fuck were you thinking.” It wasn’t phrased like a question. 

Swallowing his food uncomfortably, he said, “I don’t- I don’t know what you mean. Did something happen?”

For some reason, this made Hyojin angrier. He had let go of Seungjun’s clothes, but he looked dangerously close to harming him physically. 

“Did something happen—of course something happened! Something _always_ happens with you,” Hyojin spat. He opened his mouth to say something else, dragging his bottom lip harshly between his teeth before looking up at the ceiling. 

“Hyojin, I really don’t—”

“You’re really playing faux-innocence right now?” Hyojin cut him off. He lowered his voice even more, “Yuto is sick, Seungjun, because of something _you did_.” There was a fire in his eyes Seungjun had never seen before, and for the first time in a very long while, he knew he fucked up. 

“Yuto’s _sick?”_ he repeated numbly. His previously-racing mind was now empty as he stared right back at the fierce gaze boring into him. 

Hyojin let out a rough breath and rubbed a hand harshly across half his face. Turning sharply, he walked away, leaving Seungjun staring after him for a moment. 

_What the hell?_

“Hyojin, seriously!” he called after him. The older boy ignored him and continued to stalk away, tiny body tense with fury. 

Seungjun scrambled to catch up, leaving everything behind. Hyojin was fast when he was irritated, even more so when he seemed like he’d rather never see Seungjun again. 

“Hyojin, wait!” He was ignored again. “I really don’t know what you’re talking about, please,” he pleaded. The red-head continued like he hadn’t heard him. Seungjun trailed after him, hurt but not defeated. 

He was heading to the Hufflepuff dorms. 

_That’s odd_ , he thought. But Hyojin was letting him follow, meaning that’s what he had wanted in the first place. The older boy stopped and rapped a pattern onto the barrels, not bothering to look behind him as he entered the passageway, leaving Seungjun behind. 

By the time Seungjun had stumbled out into the open space of the common room, Hyojin was at the base of the stairs, only stopping at the top to look at him pointedly. The younger hurried to catch up, nervous energy beginning to crawl up his spine.

Four sets of eyes were watching him as he stopped under the doorway Hyojin had disappeared into. His own gaze fell onto the figure huddled in one of the beds. 

“Yuto…” he breathed, but as he took a step towards the boy, a hand caught him by the shoulder.

He blinked up distractedly and was met with Jaeyoung’s hard expression. “Oh,” he said aloud. _That’s where you’ve been_. 

“Do you mind telling us what the fuck you were thinking?” came a voice. Lee Changyoon’s, he realized belatedly. Time felt like he was wading through syrup. His heart ached in his chest. 

“Is he okay?”

“Obviously not, dipshit,” came the response.

“Seungjun.” That was Hyojin. His head turned slowly to meet his best friend’s gaze. There was a warning look in his eyes. No one was here for fun and games. He scanned the room warily. 

Hyojin was standing against the farthest wall of the small room, arms crossed in the way he held himself when he was unsure. Lee Changyoon sat halfway onto the mattress of the second bed, one foot on the floor and the other across his thigh as he clenched his jaw and glared at Seungjun. Park Minkyun was there too, standing in front of the same bed Yuto laid in almost protectively. He seemed less angry, but his usually happy countenance had been replaced with a grim expression. Jaeyoung remained by his side, the hand on his shoulder burning with the questions it asked. 

“I didn’t do anything-”

“ _Seungjun_ -”

“Then what is this?” Changyoon held up an empty cup, stained with the deep red of fruit-punch-turned-potion.

“No, Jin, listen,” he said, realizing suddenly what they all thought, “I was making alcohol _for myself._ You watched me make alcohol. You’ve literally seen my parents do it a million times, it’s the same recipe, okay? I didn’t do anything. I don’t know why he’s sick.” He gestured hopelessly towards Yuto, and Jaeyoung removed his hand. 

“Did you do it right?” Jaeyoung asked evenly. His voice betrayed no emotion, and Seungjun knew then he really was in deep shit. Jaeyoung never got mad—this tone meant he was probably as close to angry as he got. 

“I-” Did he? There was no way of knowing. He didn’t even remember if he had drank any of what he made. “I don’t know.” 

Lee Changyoon looked like he was about to burst a blood vessel. His hands fidgeted angrily in his lap as he regarded Seungjun with clear disgust. 

Seungjun sighed. “Do you really think I would do something to hurt Yuto?”

“You’d do something to hurt me.”

Shit. “That’s not-” His mouth slammed shut at the look all four of them gave him. “I didn’t this time, I swear.” Frantically he tried to think of something that would prove his innocence. 

Hyojin was chewing on his lip. “You promised, Jun.” He sounded desperate. 

God, his heart felt like it was shattering.

“I kept the promise!” Seungjun huffed. “Let me see him, maybe I can just. I don’t know, maybe I’ll know what happened.” 

Minkyun shifted slightly and then nodded slowly. “He coughed up blood earlier.” It sounded like an accusation. 

Yuto was pale and cold to the touch. He stirred a little as Seungjun sat beside him, cracking his eyes open and staring with a vacant expression. 

“Changyoon-hyung?” His voice was weak. Seungjun choked on the dry sob that tried to escape him. 

“No, I’m Seungjun,” he said quietly. “How are you feeling?”

“Mm. My head hurts. And I feel super tired, but I’m not nauseous anymore.” Seungjun looked up to meet eyes with Changyoon. 

“Are you allergic to anything?”

“No.” 

Seungjun ran through the list of ingredients aloud, Yuto shaking his head for each one. 

“But I made it right,” he whined. “What happened?”

“Don’t you have the recipe?” Changyoon asked snarkily from the other bed. Seungjun shot him a glare. 

“I have it memorized.”

“Well maybe you remembered it wrong!”

“That’s entirely possible,” Hyojin cut in flatly. Seungjun tried to catch his eye, but the older boy looked at Changyoon, refusing to meet his gaze. 

“I have it written in my notebook, I didn’t do it wrong,” he argued.

Jaeyoung sat up slightly, as if he had thought of something. “Go get your notebook and show it to us, then.”

  
⁕⁕⁕

It took him less than ten minutes for Seungjun to return, his nerves eating him alive. A flicker of recognition passed over Hyojin’s face as he saw the bound journal in his hands. He had seen Seungjun write in it almost on the daily. 

He blinked and a second later the notebook was gone from his grasp. He watched in muted horror as Lee Changyoon flipped through it without second thought, as if his heart wasn’t displayed across its pages. 

“Hey-” he protested, and then the book was in Hyojin’s hands. Shame and embarrassment flushed through Seungjun as he remembered what was in it: plans for his homemade potions and spells, notes and thoughts he wrote out for himself, possible pranks for the future, and on some pages even somewhat of a diary. Lee Changyoon had no right to see that.

Seungjun bristled a little, feeling exposed. Hyojin handed the notebook back to him without meeting his eyes. 

“Show us.”

He flipped to a part that was dogeared from the night before. On the left side his family’s alcohol potion, written quickly and slanted with certain words crossed out and respelled, took up the page. Ingredients and steps were listed simply, leaving little room for mistake. 

“See? It’s so easy.”

Hyojin took the book from his hands, scanning each line for what could have caused Yuto’s illness. His eyes flickered to the page on the right, stopping for a moment before widening.

“You wrote this down?” He looked nervous, chewing on his lip again as he met Seungjun’s surprised look. 

“What?”

“The _Lethe_ potion. I- you know I was just telling you the history, you’re not supposed to _recreate_ it.”

“Wait, one of those river potion things?” Changyoon chimed in. He moved to look over Hyojin’s shoulder and his eyes widened, too. “How does he know the ingredients?”

Hyojin laughed, high-pitched and strained. He handed the journal back to Seungjun and ran a hand through his deep red hair. “Changyoon,” he said, looking back at the boy, “do you have the Potions textbook?” The Hufflepuff nodded, clearly confused by the digression. He pointed at a stack of books on the floor.

Hyojin pulled it out and paged through it almost absently, like he already knew what he was going to find. Whatever he did find, clearly, was not good enough. He looked annoyed, or maybe dissatisfied. 

“Um,” Minkyun interrupted, “not to sound stupid, but what are the river potions?”

Seungjun had forgotten Minkyun was only a fourth-year. Technically, _he_ shouldn’t know about these things, either. Hyojin had brought it up after a particularly intense Potions class a few weeks ago, and Seungjun had begged him to tell him as much as he could about the lore. Hyojin had gone as far as to ask his professor about the common ingredients—the ingredients written down verbatim in Seungjun’s notebook.

No wonder Hyojin was embarrassed. 

Essentially it boiled down to this: six potions named after the mythological rivers of Hades, each with varying effects and intensities. Most of them were fictional, simply good examples of how potions existed in storytelling and history. The few that could be recreated were not well-known, and presumably dangerous. Hyojin had said as much to Seungjun as he paced the floors of his common room, Seungjun sprawled on the couch before the fireplace, listening intently. 

“But what do they _do?_ ” He had asked, setting Hyojin off again. While they shared an equal hunger for knowledge, Seungjun’s intentions nearly always differed from those of his friend. 

The _Lethe_ potion was similar to the abilities of its namesake; it was taken to make people forget things, and, depending on the dosage, could completely erase a person’s memories. Unlike the river however, the potion had certain side effects depending on what its ingredients had been exposed to. It was difficult to perfect and probably a death-wish to try. 

Hyojin was explaining as much to Minkyun, whose eyes flickered to Yuto’s sleeping form in alarm. 

“How much will he forget?” Minkyun whispered.

Hyojin looked at him sadly. “I don’t know.”

Shame prickled across Seungjun’s skin like a small spider crawling up his arm. His best friend was avoiding his gaze and any glance he got from Jaeyoung was far from reassuring. He stood by himself as the others sat on the beds, discussing. 

“Obviously we need to find an antidote.” 

Hyojin was good for this, Seungjun thought. A natural leader, someone easy to trust and to follow. 

“How do we know if what he made was exactly the _Lethe_ potion?”

“We don’t,” Hyojin stated. “He’s going to have to remake it.” 

He hated the fact that Hyojin was talking about him like he wasn’t standing three feet away. Hated that this was all his fault, and that he had no idea what to do. He watched them all, together on the beds ignoring his presence. He didn’t dare go over to them. 

Seungjun understood Hyojin’s conflicting feelings, to a degree. The older was always cleaning up his messes, advocating for him even as he did his worst. It was a position not many would be willing to fulfill. And yet Hyojin did it, every single time. Jaeyoung, too, dealt with the damage he created, patiently suggesting alternatives. But now Yuto had been affected too—worse than the others—because of Seungjun’s terrible curiosity. 

He was drawn out of his thoughts by Hyojin turning his head and meeting his gaze evenly, doe eyes dark and serious. “You,” he said sharply, “are remaking what you did last night. With Changyoon.” 

Seungjun blinked dumbly as a noise of protest rose out of the Hufflepuff. “Are you sure that’s a good idea-”

“Minkyun,” Hyojin announced loudly, glaring at Seungjun before turning away, “you and Jaeyoung can go look for books about the potions. In the library. I’ll stay with Yuto.” _And keep an eye on Seungjun_ was implied. 

꧁꧂

“I told you to use the roots, not the leaves!”

Changyoon was about to break down.

“ _That’s what you showed me!_ ”

“I didn’t! You’re a sixth-year, aren’t you supposed to know these better than me?”

Seungjun took the caldron to empty it for the second time already, clearly annoyed. 

“If you’re only going to get mad at me, why did you ask for my help in the first place?!”

“I didn't! I never asked for anyone’s help! Hyojin told _us_ to do it but I can make it by _myself_ just fine!”

“Like yesterday?”

Seungjun’s silence showed that Changyoon had hit the nail on the head.

“Shut up,” he finally let out, fueling Changyoon’s frustration.

“You’re the one who messed up. You have no right to be mad at me.”

Seungjun didn’t answer and only focused on the making of his potion, making Changyoon’s snort.

“You’re really something else, aren’t you.”

“What, again?” the Slytherin sighed, his eyebrows frowned.

“Nothing. Which one are you making?”

“The alcohol one. It’s easier and I’m not sure I have every ingredient for _Lethe_. That’s why I told you all that it’s not it, you’re wrong and it isn’t that serious-”

“It isn’t that serious?! Did you- You didn’t even _see_ him! You didn’t see him when he was in pain, when he was in need of help!”

“Look, I’m just trying to understand! I didn’t bring that many ingredients because I knew what I was making. And a forbidden potion must need some rare ingredients, am I wrong?”

“You fucking own _dragon blood_. Stop trying to take me for an idiot. I’m sure you’ve already made forbidden potions in the past.”

“But it was different!”

“ _Of course.”_

The atmosphere was heavy and Changyoon messed with his hair for the nth time that morning. 

“Let me help you or I’ll go crazy.”

Seungjun sighed and told him to come nearer. 

“You’ll continue what I started then. I’ll write the list to make it clear for you. And I will try to make _Lethe_ on my own.”

“You really want to do it?”

“Do we have a choice? I mean, if we want to understand I have to see both potions and study the ingredients in common. Mixing both could help too, to see if the usual antidote works or not on it.”

“We are all gonna be expelled for this,” grumbled Changyoon before taking the notes Seungjun had written for him. 

“It’s gonna be okay,” the younger said absentmindedly, focusing on his own work.

Changyoon let the words resonate in his mind for a few seconds, like it was the only little hope he had found in the last few hours of stress. He started to make the potion, trying his best to not mess up for the third time.

It was when he was getting near the end that his mind went blank looking at the notes. He had confused honeywater with simple honey. 

“You have no idea what you are doing, do you?”

Seungjun’s voice was the last thing he wanted to hear right now. At least, it stopped the tears that he had felt welling in his eyes.

“And what?!” he suddenly turned to face the blond, “Won’t you shut up? Yes I’m bad and I know that, so what?! At least I don’t put anyone in danger just because I want to seem cool! Can you not stop even if you’re the one in the wrong?! Don’t you have any shame?!”

“Stop blaming me when I did nothing! I didn’t even want to go to your stupid birthday party! I only did because Hyojin begged me to!”

Changyoon didn’t have time to answer. The door opened with force, revealing a red-haired boy. Neither of them moved until Hyojin slapped Seungjun across the face, looking at his best friend in the eyes and murmuring something Changyoon couldn’t catch. 

The prefect turned to Changyoon, making the Hufflepuff swallow in apprehension. _What the fuck just happened?_

“Do you need help? What happened?”

“I- The honeywater-”

“Ah, of course, honey and honey water. I remember in fourth year our professor told us we could catch up just by mixing the right quantity of plain water. It won’t make the perfect potion, but it’ll still work.”

Hyojin skillfully added the proper ratios as he talked to Changyoon, causing the boy to be more confused than ever.

“T-Thank you...”

“You’re welcome. Yuto just fell asleep again so I thought I could help.”

Changyoon dared to glance at Seungjun and noticed he still hadn't moved.

“It’s all done now, thank you. You can go back to watching Yuto. Last time he felt worse when he was asleep, so you should go check.”

Hyojin hummed in agreement before leaving the common room as quickly as he entered it.

After a minute, Changyoon lost his patience. 

“Go follow him.”

A pathetic sob fell out of Seungjun, his back still turned. 

“No. I know him, he won’t want to talk to me for a while.”

“So what? Don’t you want to say sorry to him at least? I’m sure he’s regretting it too, you know.”

Seungjun shook his head, a hand coming to wipe the tears Changyoon couldn’t see from where he stood. 

“Isn’t he your best friend? Don’t you want to make up as fast as possible?”

“You don’t know anything. Just…leave it alone.”

Changyoon wasn’t surprised by Seungjun’s irritation. He knew it wasn’t his place to say something like this.

“I’m sorry,” the older sighed sincerely.

“You don’t have to be. You’re right about everything and I’m the one that just- that screws everything up.”

Changyoon couldn’t help but feel guilty. He had been quite apathetic from the beginning, but he felt responsible for Hyojin’s sudden actions towards his best friend. If his nerves hadn’t been eating at him and made him mess up, things would have turned out differently. There was already Yuto to take care of, breaking a ten-year-old friendship would only add to their struggles. They had no choice but to work together for now, anyway.

“You shouldn’t wait too long. Hyojin’s nice. If you talk to him calmly things will go well.”

Seungjun ignored him by focusing on his potion again, and Changyoon took that for a good sign that the boy was thinking about what he was telling him.

“Let’s heal Yuto first,” the blond mumbled, making Changyoon smile, grateful that some spirit was back in the Slytherin.

Between a sad Seungjun and an annoying Seungjun, Changyoon would definitely choose the annoying version. At least he knew how to react to that; helping his rival wasn’t something he had ever expected. 

“How do you even know the ingredients you need for _Lethe_ , by the way? I don’t remember our professors telling us about it. They just talked about their effects and history but that’s it.”

Seungjun’s voice was quiet. “Hyojin was curious so he asked the professor at the end of your class. Not about the exact list, just to know what those potions had in common. Turns out a few ingredients are indeed common for each and he told me which.”

“Wait... “ Changyoon frowned, “That means it could be something other than _Lethe_.”

“That’s why we need Jaeyoung and Minkyun to find the exact recipe. For the antidote too, but also to know to… what extent I messed up.”

Changyoon’s mind went blank for a moment. Between the six types of potion, half of them were lethal. 

“How come only _Lethe_ is written in your notebook then? Why didn’t you react earlier? Did you- on purpose-”

“ _Lethe_ because it’s the only name I remembered from what Hyojin told me. And because I have no idea. But he- he doesn’t look like he’s dying, right?”

Both looked at each other for a moment, the seconds dragging out, hoping to find answers in the other’s eyes.

“ _Lethe_ makes memories disappear, so it’s most likely this one,” Changyoon finally said, breaking the tension. 

“Yeah, it has to be this one,” Seungjun murmured while taking out a little vial from his pocket.

“What is that?” Changyoon asked in exasperation, having had enough of seeing undeterminable potions.

“What remains from last night. To be honest, I knew someone had probably drunk it when I couldn’t find my cup, and it worried me a bit because you’re only supposed to add a few droplets to make the effects appear. But since no one was feeling bad at the party, I just assumed a few droplets or more didn’t really do anything.”

“And what will you do with this?”

“Drink it. When I have the antidote, to know if it works, I will have to drink this one and take the antidote afterwards. If it doesn’t work, I will go explain everything to the professors and take all of the responsibility.”

Changyoon’s throat became dry. 

“Can’t you just find out what you used exactly by analysing it?”

“I’ll try. I remember well for the beginning but then I wasn’t being precise. What we can already say is that-” Seungjun filled a small bottle with the potion Changyoon made and held it up next to his. “They are not the same.”

The colors were different, from a very clear and colorless liquid for the original alcohol potion to a milky, pale pink color for the one Yuto had drunk. 

“You can go do something else for now. I’ll try to make different potions to understand what I did. You can’t really help me for that, sorry.”

Changyoon hesitated. He wasn’t really enthusiastic about going back in his own room because he knew he would be left alone with Hyojin (and Yuto), and he wasn’t sure if the other had calmed down. He couldn’t help Minkyun and Jaeyoung either for now as they were already gone on their own mission. He was stuck between the Slytherin and the Gryffindor and neither of the options pleased him. 

“Alright,” the black-haired boy finally said, starting to gather up his things. 

When he was about to leave, he turned back to face Seungjun. “I’m counting on you.”

  
  
꧁꧂

It was black. Not the full, deep kind, but one where you could distinguish forms, shadows, _nightmares_. And there was this sound, this insalubrious sound in the background. 

It took him a few minutes to understand what it was.

A flood. Water, or at least something that flowed. A strong current.

He was cold.

The same chill as if a spirit or ghost were hiding in the dark, watching him from afar.

Or from up close.

He tried walking but couldn’t. He tried turning around but only saw darkness, a night without the moon and a world that hasn’t started breathing yet. 

But he wasn’t scared. It was like this place _knew_ him, like it had welcomed him with open arms, as if he was meant to be here at that particular moment. He wasn’t feared, he wasn’t scared; the balance was slightly disturbed, but that wasn’t alarming.

The cold started to burn, first at his fingertips until it reached his throat and made it difficult to breathe. But the chill didn’t come from the environment, it was _inside_ of him. He was the one creating the coldness, the one providing this atmosphere to the darkness, as if he were the ghost haunting the mansion.

But there was no one to haunt; only he was standing in the middle of the shadow, only he was here to watch and feel the world, making it alive with his simple presence. 

Breathing was getting harder and harder, until the pain reached his head and face, making it more difficult to stay concentrated. Not only was the headache crushing his mind, but it had touched his jaw, making it almost impossible to open his mouth. 

He wondered if he was going to die here. Maybe that’s why the darkness seemed to have welcomed him from the beginning; because it knew what was going to happen.

The sound became stronger, which was weird knowing that he still couldn’t move to be closer to it. He tried to focus on its rush to forget the pain, as it was the only thing that was accompanying him in this hopeless world. 

That’s when he understood.

The river was watching him. Getting ready to swallow him.

⁕⁕⁕

_“Yuto!”_

The pain disappeared and his dream was forgotten. Opening his eyes was easier than what he had imagined and he could even straighten his back. 

Two faces were watching him, distress showing openly on their features. 

“How are you feeling? Do you need anything?”

Yuto’s eyes wandered across their expressions. 

“I’m hungry…” he said, unsure.

_Who were they?_

He heard things about “forgetting to bring food” and “I’ll go get some,” and the red-haired boy left the room, almost running. The second boy tried to touch Yuto’s forehead with his hand, but he shrunk away reflexively, his back falling deeper into the cushions. It made the other freeze and he blinked, clearly confused.

“Is something wrong…?” the boy tried, openly unsure about what was happening.

“Who are you?” Yuto finally dared to ask.

Many different emotions passed across the other’s face and Yuto couldn’t help but to feel bad.

“I’m Changyoon, your friend.” 

Yuto frowned. “Then why don’t I know you?”

“I think… you are losing your memories.”

Yuto took a few seconds to let this sentence sit in the space between them.

“How?”

“It’s complicated.”

The answer didn’t satisfy him at all and apparently _Changyoon_ understood this. He passed a tired hand down his face.

“You drank a potion, but we’re already working on it, don’t worry. Things will get better soon.”

Absently, Yuto turned his head towards the window and noticed snow falling down from the sky. It eased him. He always liked the snow.

“I want to go play in the snow.”

“ _What?”_

Neither of them had the time to add something when the door flew open carelessly and a blond boy entered, stopping as he noticed the set of eyes looking at him.

“What?” he just said to break the weird atmosphere. “Where’s Hyojin?”

“Yuto wants to eat, so he went to get something.”

The blond nodded in understanding and squatted down next to the bed 

“You seem to be in a better state.”

Yuto looked up to Changyoon, trying to make him understand that he was stuck and didn’t know how to react to a _stranger_ . Luckily, he seemed to understand it and pulled Seungjun away from the bed to talk to him. Yuto’s eyes were back on the white landscape but he could hear the “ _He forgot us_ ” and “ _What are we going to do?_ ”. 

“Yuto?” it was the blond’s voice and Yuto could see he was trying to look friendly.

“I’m Seungjun,” he smiled brightly. “We became friends earlier this year and we got closer thanks to Quidditch. I’m currently teaching you how to play because-”

“ _You’re what?_ ”

Seungjun looked up at Changyoon, who seemed offended by what the other had said.

“He asked me to! He wanted to try being a Seeker.”

“Still! How could you just make him fly without letting anyone know!”

“Jaeyoung knew,” the blond answered as it was as easy as it seemed to be.

“You’re so irresponsible.”

“I’m training people who never played before! I’m literally the leader of my team! Why can’t you trust me for this when we are exactly in the same position!”

“Why? Don’t you remember how our last game finished?”

Seungjun stayed silent for a few seconds, the heavy atmosphere growing out of the look the two boys were exchanging. 

“I don’t want him to take _you_ as a role model,” Changyoon finally stated.

“You can’t control his feelings,” retorted the other, his face struggling to hide his true expression. 

They both stopped and their eyes widened identically as Yuto tried to stand up. He shifted his weight onto the floor and tested his balance carefully. His legs felt weak but it wasn’t that bad, he knew he could walk.

“Yuto, please don’t-”

The door opened for the second time and the red-haired boy was back, holding bags Yuto guessed were containing food. 

“...What are both of you doing?” he asked, his tone sharp, almost alarmed. 

“Yuto please, sit down,” Changyoon tried and he had no other choice but to obey.

The boy Yuto didn’t know the name of moved to stand in front of him, sighing.

“I didn’t know what you like so I took a bit of everything.”

“He likes bread,” came blond’s voice in a murmur. 

“Thank you.”

“Hyojin,” Changyoon motioned as Yuto was choosing what to eat.

The red haired boy frowned, turning around to look at him.

“Yes?”

“Can we talk?”

After a nod of agreement, both of them headed out and Yuto was left alone with Seungjun.

Yuto had already started to eat when the other finally decided to break the awkward silence.

“I’m sorry,” he just said.

Yuto nodded, not knowing— _remembering_ —what it was for.

“I promise you we will find a way to make your memories come back.”

Yuto was surprised to find that he was smiling. He didn’t know why, but he had been pretty comfortable since he had woken up. He had absolutely no idea about anything that was happening, but his feeling wasn’t bad. Seungjun’s words even added to his first impression, and his reflex, even if Changyoon said it was a bad one, was to trust him.

“Thank you,” he responded, offering a gentle smile to the other. 

They both turned their heads to the doorway when a weird sound suddenly echoed from somewhere outside the room.

“Stay here, I’ll go see what’s happening,” was the last thing Seungjun said, quickly messing up Yuto’s hair before heading out and leaving him alone.

That’s when he heard it again.

The river.

Watching him.

  
꧁꧂  
  
  


Minkyun was following Jaeyoung through the never-ending corridors leading to the library. It was nearly the afternoon now, which was weird considering it felt like ages ago he had watched Yuto collapse onto the floor. He definitely couldn’t say the atmosphere wasn’t awkward, but he had attributed it to the emergency of the situation they were caught in. He barely knew Jaeyoung at all. Maybe he shouldn’t have come, and let Hyojin do the job instead. He was already regretting leaving Yuto’s side, and wondered how he could help without knowing anything about the books they were looking for. Why did Hyojin ask him anyway? 

“So you’re a cat?”

_Oh._

“Don’t say that out loud!” Minkyun panicked for a second, looking around just in case they weren’t alone anymore. The hallways were empty, most students playing outside or staying in their dorms.

“Don’t you think you have to explain yourself? I mean, it’s still illegal from what I know.”

Minkyun was glad Jaeyoung had lowered his deep voice. He couldn’t help but to feel anxious about talking about it in the middle of the castle for the exact reason the Slytherin just explained.

“I don’t think it’s the right moment for this-”

“I think it’s the perfect moment for this.”

Minkyun hissed internally, not liking how it seemed to be such an important topic to the older boy. Jaeyoung was watching him expectantly. 

“I just tried and it worked and now I’m a cat, that’s it.”

“ _That’s it?_ ”

Jaeyoung looked at him with a mix of scandal and impatience.

“What if someone finds out? Don’t you know what consequences it’ll have?”

“That’s the risk of it,” Minkyun snapped without much consideration.

Of course he knew everything about it. He wasn’t dumb, he had done it with full knowledge on the topic.

“Can you show me?”

Minkyun stared blankly at Jaeyoung for a few seconds, not comprehending his question.

“ _What?”_

“Show it to me. The cat thing.”

“We are in the middle of the school and you _just_ talked about the risks of it!”

“I’m just curious! I fucking _stroked_ you earlier, you can at least do me this favor!”

“Oh come on!”

The pair were getting closer to the library, and Minkyun hurriedly tried to change the topic.

“Do we have a plan?”

“You distract her, I enter the Restricted section and then we get out.”

“How do we get out?”

“We’ll see.”

“That’s the kind of plan I love,” Minkyun approved with a grin.

“And now’s the moment you show it to me.”

Minkyun rolled his eyes before he stopped walking.

“I can’t believe you,” he said, before changing form and becoming his own inner animal.

Jaeyoung’s face broke into a satisfied smile and the younger hissed the moment his hand approached him. 

“ _Hey_ ,” Jaeyoung protested. 

_Don’t touch me!_

Without waiting any longer, Minkyun passed through Jaeyoung’s legs and disappeared into the school’s library. He didn’t have any ideas good enough to distract the guardian of the room long enough to let a big boy like Jaeyoung pass without being seen, but he had to find a solution. To his surprise, the room was disorderly, filled with many piles of books stacked haphazardly on the tables. As he watched books fly towards their shelves, Minkyun understood what was happening: they were using the holidays to organize and tidy the library. 

_How lucky_.

The cat followed his sense of smell to find the librarian, who was indeed making sure books were going to their correct places. He rubbed against her legs and meowed, earning a pleasant greeting that solidified him in his plan. He jumped onto the nearest table and sat down, purring when a hand went to stroke his head. 

When he got up again, his bulky shape knocked the first pile of books to the floor, making the lady chuckle. She quickly used her wand to stack the books once more, shaking her head. 

And Minkyun knocked them down again, staring right into the librarian’s eyes.

He leapt onto another table, making every book fall, never failing to look at the librarian with his big innocent eyes.

“Don’t-”

Minkyun darted through the aisle, returning to the entrance of the library where most of the books were stacked. He knew he was now being followed and had to be clever to avoid getting caught, but had to get his pursuer far enough away from the entrance of the Restricted section. He bounded from table to table, not forgetting to push over piles of books that clattered noisily onto the floor. Sensing his energy draining and knowing he couldn’t keep it up, he jumped from a table to a stack of books that was flying towards the shelves nearby, which would allow him to hide.

But he had forgotten his weight. As he landed on the pile, his paws slipped and he scrabbled for purchase. The librarian shouted in alarm, but he managed to pick himself up and he leaned against the shelf, making it wobble dangerously.

He knew it was going to tip over. Without thinking, he pushed himself onto the shelf in front of him and despite the shaking, sat still for a few seconds to calm his pounding heart. As he gasped for air, he could hear movement going away far from the entrance and was glad to know Jaeyoung had been able to enter without getting caught.

He sat there as quietly as he could, until the shelf he was resting on began to buckle even more, making him meowl in confusion and distress before leaping to the ground and contemplating the chaos he did not attempt to make—not to that extent at least. Books began tumbling loudly to the floor, crashing into the ones floating up towards the shelves. He could hear someone swear and decided to hide before the librarian could find him again, running as quickly toward the Restricted section as he could. He scented Jaeyoung’s trail, leading him into the dark aisle with dust coating the thick air. 

When he passed the separating cord, he immediately shifted back to his human form, stumbling out of dizziness and breathing hard from the adrenaline. He wheezed, choking on the dust he had stirred up in his graceless fall. Jaeyoung was watching him with wide eyes and Minkyun understood that he was asking, “ _what the fuck did you do?_ ” He shrugged innocently before raising his eyebrows to ask him if he had found anything promising.

Jaeyoung took his wand out and whispered something Minkyun didn’t hear.

“I cast a Muffliato Charm, we can speak freely now.” 

“Oh, thank you.” Minkyun was impressed with the elder’s quick thinking. 

“We’re in the potions section, but I have no idea what title this kind of book would have.”

“It doesn’t seem like it’s your first time coming here.” 

Jaeyoung rolled his eyes. “I come but with my professors’ accords. It wasn’t for serious things anyway.”

Minkyun ignored his answer and started to look at the different books in front of him.

“You can search for the letter “L,” I’ll go look at the “R,” Jaeyoung suggested.

“And what about the ones with no letters at all?”

“They have letters, just not the usual alphabet. We should maybe check the ancient runes section too.”

There weren’t that many books in the “L” section and none seemed to be related to anything named “Lethe.” Minkyun was frustrated. He messed with his hair, pulling at it with long fingers as his mind raced and reminded him that they didn’t have time to search for long.

He took his wand out and whispered a quick _Accio_ _Lethe_ that led to nothing but a judgemental look from Jaeyoung. The catboy sighed and went back to his research.

“Minkyun, can you come and see?”

Jaeyoung was holding an ancient-looking book with a cover that Minkyun thought seemed almost rusty at first.

**_The Rivers of HELL._ **

“Does that mean it wasn’t legends?” Minkyun asked, not understanding fully what the book was implying.

“I don’t think they were in the first place. They became ones, because no one used them anymore.”

Jaeyoung opened the book carefully, as if it would crumble between his fingers.

“Do you know Ancient Greek?” Jaeyoung tried.

“Do I have the face of a Greek guy?”

They both looked in each other’s eyes for a second before focusing on the pages again.

“It’s mainly in English but… Some parts apparently couldn’t be explained without using Greek. We should borrow a translation book,” the older murmured.

“Of course. Let’s go back and ask the librarian as if we didn’t enter secretly to steal a forbidden book about forbidden and deadly potions.”

Jaeyoung ignored the Hufflepuff's sarcasm and looked Minkyun right in the eyes.

“You’ll have to distract her again. Let’s go out, then you go back to the others with this book while I borrow one to translate it.”

Minkyun had no choice but to nod and he grumbled a quick, “I’ll end up being hated by the whole castle,” as he transformed back into a fluffy orange feline. Jaeyoung smiled as he watched him.

Without hesitation, Minkyun went back out to the librarian and started to provoke chaos again, enough for Jaeyoung to slip out of the library. Tired of his antics, the librarian tried to _Stupefy_ the poor cat and he rushed to leave the room as fast as possible, dodging each spell thrown at him. He followed the scent to find Jaeyoung in an empty corridor a little ways from the library and changed back to his human form instantly.

“I almost got caught!” he complained, his heart still beating fast at the thought of someone discovering his secret identity.

“You did well. Now take the book, and I’ll join you in a bit.”

Jaeyoung left him and his confusion alone, walking as nothing had happened before entering the library for the second time. Minkyun sighed and made sure to note that Jaeyoung was kind of an odd character, but he couldn’t deny his leadership abilities. 

He was reminded of how dire the situation was when the image of Yuto coughing blood once again passed through his mind, making his adrenaline jump for the nth time that morning. Minkyun started to run as fast as possible, ignoring the few annoyed ghosts that he didn’t mind avoiding in his rush. When he finally reached his common room’s entrance, the Hufflepuff realised that he had to nail the entrance rhythm or the book would be destroyed in the punishing wash of vinegar. At least, he wasn’t as bad as Changyoon (no one really was) and he trusted himself to do as well as usual. He let out a sigh of relief when the entrance appeared and he could join the warm mood of the room he loved so much.

He was quite surprised to find the common room empty. From what he knew, Changyoon and Seungjun were supposed to be working together on making potions to see what Yuto had taken. He could see the caldrons on the left part of the room, but no humans to use them. As he grew closer to the tables, anxious about what could have possibly happened to the two boys, he found potions resting and ingredients scattered messily across the table. He was suddenly glad that Changyoon’s birthday happened during the holidays when no one was around. It would be so easy to get caught. 

“Guys?” he suddenly spoke up, glancing at the corridor leading to the boy’s dorms. 

“Minkyun?” he heard in response, and a heavy weight lifted from his shoulders knowing that he wasn’t alone anymore.

“Changyoon!” he enthusiastically called, recognizing his best friend’s voice.

“What happened? Where’s Jaeyoung?” The anxious Hufflepuff asked while descending the stairs to join him, relief painted on his face.

“We needed another book so he went to ask for it. And…” Minkyun showed him the book he was gripping so tightly his fingers had become white, “I have the book. Everything went fine, besides the fact that I almost went to Azkaban, you know, the usual.”

Changyoon took the book and started to skim through it, his eyes as wide as they could be.

“ _Azkaban?_ ” a high-pitched voice asked as Hyojin appeared behind Changyoon.

“I can explain later. First, we should show this to-”

“Why are some parts not in English?”

“That’s why Jaeyoung-”

“Not in English? Isn’t that Ancient-”

“Can’t you listen to me?!” Minkyun lost his patience, making the two older boys flinch. 

“I understand that both of you are stressed but that’s not a reason to talk over me! I was _saying_ that Jaeyoung went to get the book to translate. He should be on his way back now.”

The two students blinked in confusion, looking at Minkyun before exchanging a confused stare. 

“Sorry,” said Changyoon finally, apparently still processing what had just happened.

Minkyun took the book from his hands, closing it. 

“I hope you two didn’t do anything dumb.” he added, looking from one to another doubtfully as Hyojin returned his stare and Changyoon scratched his cheek like a child. Something had happened in his absence. It was as clear as day in Changyoon’s expression. 

Minkyun didn’t have time to try to understand. An odd noise sounded loudly from outside the common room, startling them.

A noise he had learned fairly well after all these years. He exchanged a knowing glance with Changyoon.

_Oh shit._

“What happened?” the panicked voice of Seungjun echoed as he joined them, a bit breathless after running down the corridor, alerted by the same sound.

“Did you do something _again_ ?” Hyojin accused immediately. Ah. Something had happened between _them_ , Minkyun realized. 

“ _Oh come on!_ ” Seungjun whined, apparently not at all amused by his friend’s comment.

“It’s not him!” Minkyun yelled, turning to run to the dorm’s entrance, followed closely by Changyoon. 

When he opened the door, he was met with the sight of Jaeyoung dripping from head to toe in vinegar. Changyoon pinched his nose to block the strong smell and Minkyun had to bite his lips to prevent himself from bursting into laughter. Oh dear.

“At least I saved the book,” the Slytherin said, pointing at a tunnel where the item had landed out of reach of the trap. “ I knew this day was bad from the beginning, anyway.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are finally back with the third chapter of this fic! We hope you enjoyed it as much as the others even if this one is quite different~ Thank you for reading!
> 
> Kami & Abi


	4. STYX, n. The River of Invulnerability, or Death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoa hey, happy changyoon day y'all!
> 
> it's abi posting this time if u can't tell, i even made an ao3 account just for this can you believe it
> 
> anyway this is our longest chapter to date so pls be proud of us it took a lot of work i am literally crippled from the hours of sitting like a worm behind my computer screen and i'm sure kami is in a similar state considering she wrote most of the damn thing
> 
> please enjoy! merry suffering! <3

“So, are we done?”

Hyojin nodded, looking at the several pages he had managed to translate in the span of a few hours.

“For _Lethe_ at least, yes. But since we’re pretty sure it’s that...”

Changyoon took the page he was holding, focusing on the long list of ingredients and snorted, making him look a little like he had finally lost it after all the hours of stress.

“And how are we supposed to find all of these?”

“I already have some,” interrupted Seungjun, coming closer to take a look at the paper and pointing out certain names that were written down.

“We have another problem.” Immediately they whipped their heads towards Minkyun, who smiled to ease their frantic stares. He sat in a chair on the other side of the room next to his bed, and had been quietly listening to them work.

“We all have to go to dinner tonight. It's the big Christmas feast. We can’t skip it.”

Hyojin thought he was about to break.

“We can’t take Yuto there, the professors will know instantly that something is wrong,” Changyoon whined.

“Why not, though?” Seungjun argued. “He hasn’t felt sick in a while now, and the memory problem is fine as long as we don’t speak to anyone.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Jaeyoung stopped them. The Slytherin was sunk into the bed next to Yuto, who was watching them absently.

Hyojin sighed, “Do we have any other choice? We have to take the risk.”

“We do have another choice.”

All eyes fell on Seungjun this time, and Hyojin couldn’t help but have some hope in his friend—and some pride. He was still mad, he had to be, but everything was so exhausting that keeping his position was becoming harder and harder with each minute.

“What choice?”

“Polyjuice.”

“ _Are you serious?_ ” Changyoon sputtered.

“I can make it, I just need a few minutes.”

“That’s _illegal_ , don’t you think we’ve already—”

“Do it,” Hyojin agreed, stopping the upcoming argument between the two rivals. His head spun with the implications and the knowledge of how much trouble they’d be in, but he was too tired to think rationally and it was an easy solution.

Seungjun gave Hyojin a small smile, showing his gratefulness before leaving for the common room where the cauldrons would be waiting for him.

“Why?” Changyoon asked in an offended tone, turning back towards Hyojin.

“I’ll be the one taking it, and I’ll join you and Minkyun for dinner as Yuto. Jaeyoung, Seungjun and I—the _real_ me—will go after.”

“Seungjun and I can start collecting the ingredients for the antidote,” Jaeyoung suggested and Hyojin nodded at the idea.

“No one will be in the storeroom, so it’ll be best to go now. But you have to be quick, we’ll have to go eat after an hour, let’s say, and we’d have to act like something happened to us that made us late.”

“It’s settled, then,” Jaeyoung concluded.

“I want to come,” Yuto’s little voice cut them off.

“Come where?” Hyojin asked, not sure if his exhaustion was finally wearing through him.

“For the ingredients. I don’t want to stay alone.”

“Oh, that. Just talk it out with Jaeyoung, it doesn’t concern me.”

It was irresponsible of him to act like that, almost cowardly, but he was so tired of handling a mess that wasn’t his in the first place.

“Yuto, can I get a little of your hair, please?” he asked gently, remembering Seungjun would need it. He thanked the younger when he got what he wanted, and went to find his friend in the common room.

As he had expected, Seungjun was already working on the Polyjuice, focused enough to ignore Hyojin as he came down the stairs. He must have gotten all of his personal ingredients while he and Changyoon had been working on the antidote.

“I have Yuto’s hair,” he stated awkwardly, swearing internally at himself for being so contradictory.

“Thanks,” Seungjun answered simply, his eyes lifting from his work to glance at the Gryffindor before lowering quickly out of what Hyojin guessed was guilt. Shame rocketed through him as he remembered how he had treated the other just a few hours before.

“So you were already going to make a Polyjuice?”

“Well,” Seungjun chuckled a little, his mischievous self showing again after hours of neutral and unusual dark faces, “In the end I’m still doing it, right?”

Hyojin sat down next to him, putting his chin on his hand as he observed his friend.

“Who was it for?”

“It’s better for you not to know.”

“It was for _me?_ ”

“Oh, come on, you have no idea how useful being a prefect could be.”

“Then become one yourself!”

Seungjun stopped working, turning fully towards Hyojin. “I’m _Lee Seungjun!_ ”

“Well, that’s true. You do start with some disadvantages.”

“I don’t know if that’s a personal attack or not, but I’ll let you go for once.”

Hyojin smiled, his heart suddenly at ease and the tension in his shoulders melting away.

“I’m sorry, for earlier,” he finally found the courage to tell him.

“Don’t be, I deserved it.” Seungjun laughed dryly and shook his head.

“No, don’t think that. No one deserves to be hit, ever. I shouldn’t have done that, it was dumb and immature of me.”

“But I hurt you,” Seungjun stopped moving again, his eyebrows furrowed as he pouted, “At least we’re quits.”

“That’s an awful way of thinking,” Hyojin pointed out, imagining how easily that would lead to eternal bickering.

“Not if we stop it here,” Seungjun countered as if he had just read Hyojin’s thoughts, hopeful starry eyes falling on the Gryffindor.

“Depends. What do you have to offer me?”

Seungjun snorted with a smile, understanding that Hyojin was joking.

“My heart?” He suggested with his face drawn in a ridiculously cheesy expression, making Hyojin react as if he was disgusted. Seungjun batted his eyelashes for good measure before he broke out into a wide grin.

“I prefer making up with you than having to listen to you say things like _that_ ,” the prefect stated, making his friend laugh, bright and unrestrained. (And _god_ , his laugh definitely healed a part of Hyojin’s fatigue).

“Will you be done soon?” Hyojin questioned, not wanting the awkward silence to exist between them. The last few hours had been exhausting as he tried to stay mad in the middle of an already draining chaos.

“I am.” Seungjun started to split the potion into different doses before he delicately took the strand of Yuto’s brown hair between his fingertips, dropping it into the mixture of one of the flasks. Hyojin watched in fascination as the liquid fizzled for a moment before settling.

“And… _Tada!_ Polyjuice!” Seungjun declared happily, proudly showing Hyojin the little flask that had turned into a pretty yellow colour.

“Why did you split it?” Hyojin asked curiously before extending his hand to take the potion. For some reason, Seungjun hid it behind his back with a glare that said _don’t_ , making Hyojin furrow his eyebrows.

“What are you doing? I have to be the one taking it.”

“Yes, and you will. But you have to know some things first. Polyjuice takes _months_ —” his face grave as his voice insisted on this point, “—to collect and prepare the ingredients, and I won’t be the one facing the consequences of something I might have failed. It’ll be you.”

“Did you mess up or something?” Hyojin asked, blinking in confusion.

“I didn’t, obviously. Or if I did, I have no idea where, but I don’t fail in potions.”

“No, you don’t,” Hyojin agreed, bewildered.

“Usually.”

Hyojin’s mouth formed a perfect ‘o’ as he finally understood where Seungjun was going.

“Jun. I trust you, alright? You don’t have to be scared. You’re the best when it comes to this. I’ll be fine.”

“Being the best led to all of this, Hyojin.”

The Gryffindor could see the worry in his eyes, and it squeezed his heart to see Seungjun unconfident in the field he was known to be matchless.

Seungjun sighed, finally holding the potion in front of him again, his gaze stuck on it because of his hesitant mind.

“I don’t know how long it will last. It’s my first time making this, which means I haven’t drunk it myself yet, which means I don’t know to which extent I was able to succeed, because if I’m still as good as usual, it could last for... ten hours?”

“Are you _kidding me?_ ”

“So,” Seungjun continued, ignoring the shock in his best friend’s voice, “we have to hope that I’m not as perfect as you seem to believe I am.”

Seungjun finally handed him the Polyjuice with a soft smile, proud of his work nonetheless.

“Well, to be honest, my goal while preparing for it wasn’t to make it last that long. Only one or two hours. That’s what most wizards are aiming for while making it. So we should be good. I hope.”

“I hope so, too…” mumbled the older, looking more closely at the pretty color of the potion.

“If it lasts way too long, I have the other Polyjuice ready,” the Slytherin winked, answering Hyojin’s earlier question.

“You say it like you made it in case you are going to fail when it’s only for your own consumption later.”

“Well, depends how this one works first,” he grinned, gesturing for Hyojin to drink it.

Hyojin gulped, gathering up his courage before bringing the little flask to his lips.

“Turn around,” he asked shyly, and he felt thankful that Seungjun obeyed without complaining.

The Polyjuice tasted the way a bakery smelt early in the morning when things were still coming fresh out of the oven. Relief washed over Hyojin as he felt himself change; he had heard too many stories about the disgusting flavors that could come from a person’s Polyjuice. He was just lucky Yuto’s was so pleasant.

His body slowly became smaller, and a sharp cramp pulled at his muscles making him gasp a little. Seungjun startled from where he was turned away, but didn’t move to look, as Hyojin had asked. Hyojin smiled at that, but the expression felt weird on his face as his mouth began to rearrange itself to mirror Yuto’s. _This is so weird._

“Are you okay?” Seungjun asked, and knowing that at least his best friend’s voice hadn’t changed strangely eased Hyojin.

“Yeah…” But his _own_ voice made him jump in surprise.

Seungjun turned around quickly then, and despite Hyojin being quite sure his friend would mock him, his eyes sparkled and his smile grew large.

“Ahh! How cute!”

He bent towards Hyojin who backed up in reflex, not liking to be seen as such by his best friend.

“It’s just as if Yuto was wearing the wrong-sized clothes. You look adorable,” he cooed, quickly running his fingers through the older boy’s hair.

Hyojin grumbled but didn’t find anything to reply with, his mind still processing what was happening and how it was possible that Seungjun was now taller than him.

“Stop it or I’ll kick your ass,” he finally spat out, making Seungjun cackle.

“This is so weird. Yuto would never say something like that.”

“Let’s wrap this up quickly, I don’t want to stay like this for too long,” the prefect complained while inspecting his new body.

_Tiny._

“But Hyojin…”

“What _now?_ ”

“You have to find new clothes. You can’t go eat like this.”

Hyojin groaned, understanding that the more he tried to fix things the more other problems appeared.

“Alright, I’ll go to Ravenclaw Tower and find a proper outfit,” he said, shrugging off his long robe, the necktie and his glasses, praying that no one would scold him for not wearing the uniform properly during his walk to the other dorm.

“Do you want me to come with you?” Seungjun asked, looking concerned as he took Hyojin’s clothes from him.

“No, it’s better for me to go alone. You should go and see Jaeyoung, he’ll explain to you what plan we have.”

Seungjun nodded, worry still showing on his face. Hyojin smiled at him.

“Can you tell Minkyun and Changyoon to meet me in front of the Great Hall?”

“Will do. Good luck. And, Hyojin…”

“What?”

“I had fun. At the party.”

“ _Oh._ ” The older couldn’t help but smile when he saw his friend flustered, “I knew that already.”

“What—”

Hyojin didn’t give his friend the time to say anything else as he started to head out of the Hufflepuff common room.

“See you Seungjun! Don’t get caught later!” he called out before closing the door behind him.

⁕⁕⁕  
  


Trying to move in a body that wasn't his wasn't just hard, it was awful. Hyojin had nearly tripped over his own feet several times already as he miscalculated each step forward. He knew he must have looked like he was drunk or under a confusion spell, but he pushed onwards into the cold courtyard that would take him to Ravenclaw tower. He hadn't anticipated how complicated such a task could be, and found himself struggling more than he had expected. When he had attempted to run and had fallen onto his hands after mere seconds, his reflex had been to swear at Seungjun.

“If he continues his stupid pranks after all of this, I’m unfriending him,” he whispered to himself with irritation, standing back on his feet and assessing the damage done to his body.

Hyojin reached the Ravenclaw dormitory undetected and in one piece, albeit with numb nose and fingers. He thanked whatever luck he had managed to keep with him as he made his way towards the winding staircase. He should have asked for a pullover from the Hufflepuff boys before leaving their common room knowing he'd have to go out into the winter landscape to reach Yuto's dormitory.

“Mizuguchi Yuto!”

His prayers hadn’t been heard, apparently.

It took him three seconds to remember that that was _him_ , which was definitely three too many. When he turned back to look at his professor, he tried hard to remember his few interactions with the young Ravenclaw to understand his personality. Yuto was friendly, right?

“Yes?” he smiled, trying his best to seem natural.

“Why are you not wearing your uniform properly? Did something happen?”

“Hmm, I’m sorry. Something did happen, but I was on my way to my dorm to get new clothes.”

“You know you can tell us everything, right?”

He nodded.

“But if you decide not to explain yourself, then I have no choice but to take ten points from Ravenclaw.”

“I understand, I’m sorry,” he mumbled, feeling guilty for a loss that wasn’t even Yuto’s fault in the first place.

“Now, hurry up before you catch a cold and feel sick for the rest of your holidays.”

“Yes, sir!”

The prefect didn’t hurry though, he was still unsure of his steps even as he slowly grew used to them. When he reached the top of Ravenclaw Tower, he couldn’t feel the tips of his ears, the chill in the wind extra harsh without his cloak to act as a shield. He hoped that the riddle wouldn’t be too difficult, or he would have no idea what to do.

Hyojin had almost never had the chance to enter the Ravenclaw common room. He had been able to only once so far, thanks to a group project during his third year with one of its students. He kept a good memory of it; the common room was known for being stunning, and its reputation was definitely accurate. But to be able to be rewarded with the sight of it, he first had to answer the eagle knocker correctly.

Hyojin reached to knock on the door, waiting for the riddle. Simple logic had always been easy for him, and he worked around the wordplay he was given effortlessly.

When Hyojin entered the common room, he took a few seconds to admire the starry ceiling, counting the number of constellations he knew by heart and smiling in admiration. If there was one thing the other students had often told him during his first years at Hogwarts, it was that he fit into Ravenclaw more than he did Gryffindor. He hated those comments. He liked Gryffindor a lot, and wanted to prove that he deserved his place in the House of Courage by working harder than anyone else. He even became prefect, and despite his ambition of becoming Head Boy being crushed by Seungjun’s recent antics, he never heard such reflections again. But there was always some truth in others’ statements, and he had to admit that he was jealous of the Ravenclaw common room.

He didn’t remember when his love for the sky and the universe began, but in his first memories linked to them, Seungjun had been by his side. There weren’t a lot of memories he had without Seungjun in them in the first place, he was pretty sure the other had been the blacksmith of his personality.

Remembering suddenly that Minkyun and Changyoon could be waiting for him (thanks to his growling stomach), Hyojin started to walk toward the staircase that led to the dormitories, grateful no one was there or he would have looked like a newborn deer.

He had already thought about how to find Yuto's room as he wandered the corridors of the castle. He truly hoped his plan would work, or he would have no choice but to steal someone else's robes. Hyojin reached the third floor of the tower after having tripped only once on the staircase—quite proud of his performance. He opened every door in the hallway before taking out his wand.

“ _Accio_ Yuto’s scarf!”

He didn't have to wait long for a blue scarf to come flying out of one of the bedrooms, and he caught it before it hit him in the face. Glad that his idea had worked, Hyojin stepped into the correct bedroom, summoning a sweater with another Accio to figure out which wardrobe he could look through. He pulled on a robe and one of Yuto's neckties quickly, inspecting the room one last time. It was well cleaned, he had expected Yuto to be tidy. But there, next to one of the fancy canopy beds, several presents were resting. Hyojin's heart hurt at the sight. He went closer, wondering if he should bring some with him to give to Yuto, but decided against it, not knowing what the younger would have prefered. It was safer not to touch anything for now; he was already invading the Ravenclaw's privacy enough by stealing his clothes without telling him first.

Hyojin left the room, closing the door carefully, leaving the wrapped happiness behind as it waited for an uncertain future.

꧁꧂ 

Seungjun had looked particularly pleased when he returned to the bedrooms to tell Minkyun and Changyoon to meet Hyojin in front of the Great Hall. The Slytherin had been trying to contain his smile, but whatever had gone on between the two friends before they had separated left him in the brightest mood Minkyun had seen him in since before the party.

“He looks just like him,” Seungjun had said, his voice trembling with the effort not to laugh. Changyoon had only narrowed his eyes at the Slytherin in response.

“How can we be sure this will work?”

Seungjun had laughed for real this time, his eyes sparkling with mischief. “We can’t. But honestly, it’ll probably last longer than he wants it to.” With that, he turned to Jaeyoung, and the pair started planning for their own errand.

Yuto had fallen asleep while they were waiting, but not before Minkyun had talked to him for quite a while. They had determined that he couldn’t remember anyone or where he was, but once he learned, he retained that information. Minkyun wouldn’t know how he’d feel if he’d have had to keep introducing himself. The idea made his heart hurt.

Now he and Changyoon were standing outside of the Great Hall waiting for a Yuto-sized Hyojin. Minkyun couldn’t wrap his mind around it; he had only heard stories about the effects of Polyjuice. The idea that someone could look and sound exactly like one of his best friends was freaking him out a little. He hoped Hyojin was good at acting.

His gaze flickered over to Changyoon, who was wringing his fingers like he did when he was nervous. Minkyun realized with a pang of sadness that he had hardly seen his best friend at all during the day, and it was only twenty four hours ago that they had been setting up for his birthday party.

Quietly he wrapped his arms around the other from behind, and Changyoon let out an indignant squeak as he tried to squirm out of his grasp.

“Minkyun!”

“I miss you,” he supplied uselessly, tightening his hold on the smaller boy. “You’ve been with the others all day.”

Changyoon relaxed against his body suddenly, accepting the hug.

“I miss you too,” he replied, sounding embarrassed. He huffed out a sigh then, leaning his weight into Minkyun, who happily complied and shifted to support it.

After a few moments he spoke again.

“I never thought I’d get along with him,” and Minkyun knew he meant Seungjun. He was surprised to hear that coming from Changyoon, and he wondered what he had missed in the hour or so he had been gone with Jaeyoung.

“Do you think he feels bad?’

“He feels _awful_ ,” Changyoon whispered, and it sounded almost guilty. Changyoon shuffled around a little and turned to look halfway at Minkyun, and he could see the shame in his eyes.

“Hyojin _hit_ him, Kyun.”

“ _What?_ ”

“He just—we were arguing again and Hyojin came in and slapped him across the face. I don’t even know what happened, I just-” he sighed again and turned back around, leaning into Minkyun more this time. “He knows he fucked up.”

They stood together a little while longer, Changyoon leaning his head back on Minkyun’s shoulder.

“‘M so fuckin’ tired,” the older mumbled, and suddenly the weight of the day hit Minkyun at full force. He was exhausted, they all were, and he became highly aware of the fact that it would be very easy to make a mistake and expose themselves to their professors. Fear stung at his heart a little, but he couldn’t be bothered to do anything about it. Changyoon was warm, and if they stood there long enough he could probably fall asleep on his feet.

A soft cough interrupted his thoughts and he blinked down at Yuto, who was staring at them from across the corridor with wide, nervous eyes. No, _not_ Yuto. Hyojin.

Minkyun dropped his arms from Changyoon’s sides, laughing a little to cover his embarrassment. Changyoon moved away from him hastily and the pair of them probably looked ridiculous. Minkyun inhaled sharply and nodded to Yu- Hyojin, who returned the gesture almost suspiciously.

“So it worked?”

“As far as I can tell. Do you see any difference?”

Minkyun’s mind was blank for a second before he nodded and then shook his head. Kim Hyojin’s sharpness coming out of the mouth of his Yuto. What the hell.

“You look just like him, just, like-” he laughed incredulously, “-don’t talk like that. It’s weird.”

Hyojin rolled his eyes—Yuto’s eyes—and nodded. “This was such a bad idea, huh.”

“I can’t believe you agreed,” Changyoon muttered and Hyojin huffed out a laugh.

“I’m exhausted. There’s only so much I can do to stop Seungjun, he’s a menace.”

Changyoon snorted and threw his arm around Hyojin’s Yuto-sized shoulders, which seemed to startle him. “Welcome to the team, I guess. Yuto laughs at everything Minkyun says because his jokes are fuckin’ awful, so I’m sorry in advance.”

“Hey!” Minkyun protested, and they entered the Great Hall.

Hyojin seemed to be on autopilot—Minkyun couldn't blame him, his own thoughts were sluggish after such a long day—because he began to walk directly towards the Gryffindor table.

“Yuto,” Changyoon laughed loudly, pulling him back, “what are you doing?”

“Oh sh- oh right, sorry.” Hyojin shook his head. “I’m just tired today!”

It hit Minkyun suddenly that Hyojin had no idea what Yuto was like.

“We should have made Seungjun do this,” he hissed, and the other two shot him a look like he was crazy.

They sat at their usual place at the table, a little stiffly as Minkyun guided Hyojin by the shoulders to sit between him and Changyoon. Hyojin stared at the food on the table blankly as Changyoon started helping himself, and Minkyun took pity on him, beginning to add things to his plate that Yuto would have enjoyed.

His first Christmas with Yuto and it wasn’t even his actual friend.

They ate in complete silence for a few minutes. Minkyun couldn’t think of anything to break the tension, not even a shitty joke to make Changyoon groan.

“You’ve been looking at me like that for ten minutes, what do you want to ask?”

Minkyun’s gaze snapped up from his plate, watching the other two in surprise. Changyoon had posed the question, and he was chewing on something that made one of his cheeks puff out as he looked pointedly at Hyojin. His eyebrows were raised, but he hardly looked intimidating. The Gryffindor squirmed uncomfortably under his scrutiny and flushed as he looked down at the table. He looked so much like Yuto had at the start of their friendship for a moment that it made Minkyun smile.

Hyojin kept his eyes on the table. “Does Yuto know you’re…?”

Changyoon frowned, clearly confused. “That I’m what?”

“That you and Minkyun…” Hyojin glanced at the younger Hufflepuff, embarrassed, “you know.”

Changyoon shook his head, still not understanding. He glanced at Minkyun for help, and Hyojin looked a little like he was drowning.

Minkyun barked out a laugh suddenly, realizing what Hyojin meant. He laughed so hard he began to choke on his food.

“What does he mean?!”

“Oh _god_ ,” Minkyun gasped. “He thinks we’re _dating_.”

“Stop saying nonsense!” Changyoon snapped. Minkyun was in tears as he continued to wheeze and Changyoon swatted at him in annoyance.

“Are you and _Seungjun_ dating?!” Changyoon rounded on Hyojin, glaring at him and then at Minkyun, who was still struggling to breathe.

“I- what? _No!_ You two were just- I- You were hugging like that, what else was I supposed to think!?”

Minkyun sucked in a large amount of air before he sat up straight. “Do you not hug Seungjun?”

Changyoon started to laugh then, eyes disappearing into tiny crescents. “No, he _hits_ him.”

Hyojin hadn’t looked more like Yuto than he did right then. “Stop, listen, I apologized to him already! I don’t hit him,” he whined. “You wanted to do it too, I saw your face, Lee Changyoon.”

“You can’t talk to me like that,” Changyoon wheezed. “I’m older than you, _Yuto_.”

Minkyun’s laughter tumbled out of his body even louder this time. He had never seen an expression so _murderous_ , so _Hyojin_ , on Yuto’s face.

“I- god,” he chuckled. “Do we really look like that?”

Hyojin flushed a darker red and Changyoon reached over him to shove Minkyun’s shoulder.

“We do not! Shut up,” the elder denied. Hyojin looked Minkyun dead in the eyes and nodded.

The rest of their dinner went along quite well after that, with Hyojin falling a little more into character as Changyoon poked fun at him relentlessly. It was nice, Minkyun realized, to have someone else to talk to. He and Changyoon had been in their own little bubble for so long that Minkyun had forgotten what it was like to make new friends.

It made him wonder if Changyoon wanted more friends, too.

He was drawn out of his thoughts by a change in Changyoon’s tone. He looked sheepish and had started picking at his fingers again.

“How do you even balance everything?” he asked. “Isn’t it hard to keep up with schoolwork on top of everything else?”

Hyojin looked at the other curiously and tilted his head like he was thinking about his answer. “It’s not easy, you’re right. But I like my classes, which makes it a little more tolerable. Oh,” he said, realizing something, “if you mean being a prefect, that’s more difficult. Since Seungjun is my best friend the others don’t do much to help me when he causes a problem.”

Minkyun blinked in surprise. It was a favorite joke between students that wherever Lee Seungjun was creating trouble, Kim Hyojin wasn’t far behind to scold him in the special way that was only reserved for him. He had never thought that the other prefects would leave Hyojin to deal with the professors by himself. It made a quiet irritation bloom in his chest knowing the reputation that had come from this. Hyojin was known as mean and easily upset, and the things that were said behind his back were all a little too harsh for the Hyojin Minkyun now knew.

“He looks up to you, you know.” Hyojin was smiling softly at Changyoon, whose eyes widened dramatically.

“To _me?_ Why not to you?”

“Well, he doesn’t really care about his homework, obviously. I’m far more academically focused than he is. You’re a good strategist, and he likes that. He wants to be a professional Seeker once we leave Hogwarts. He watches your team the closest out of any of them, actually,” Hyojin looked embarrassed all of a sudden. “He’d kill me if he knew I told you that. He’s not a bad person, he’s just… easily distracted. And he likes finding solutions to the problems he creates, so I can’t get too mad at him. You know he’s a genius at Potions.”

Minkyun watched Changyoon’s face closely as he listened. The older boy had a faraway expression that told him everything. Changyoon struggled with praise on a good day; he wasn’t necessarily insecure, it was just that he didn’t truly believe he deserved the compliments. But to hear it indirectly coming from the one person who had been the bane of Changyoon’s and therefore Minkyun’s existence for all of two years? That was new.

“Thanks,” Changyoon mumbled finally. Minkyun laughed at him and he scowled, but Hyojin seemed to understand. He nodded Yuto’s little head and went back to consuming far more food than Minkyun would have ever expected.

Things were getting better.

꧁꧂ 

Jaeyoung, Seungjun, and Yuto were left alone in a dorm that wasn't theirs, a dorm that Jaeyoung was now growing to despise a bit more with each minute that passed. It had been linked to many great memories from the night before, but now it was as if the party had been held months ago.

After the vinegar incident, things hadn’t gone well, as Minkyun had tried a Scouring charm to clean his clothes while Jaeyoung was still wearing them.

The outcome? His mouth filled with the taste of soap for the following thirty minutes, and a clingy Hufflepuff trying his best to make Jaeyoung forgive him for his mistakes. Even now, he still tasted some residual of the disgusting flavor, especially when he was talking, but it was tolerable. At the very least, Changyoon had shown him to the bathroom, and he had been able to clean up as the two sixth-years dealt with his clothes and returned them to him in a perfect state.

He understood how tired he truly was during his shower. How his muscles finally unwound for the first time since he had been woken up in the middle of the night, how his mind had been at peace with a comfortable emptiness. Honestly, he wondered if he would have been able to stand up without this. So in the end, the incident hadn’t been a big deal, and he reminded himself that Minkyun was the kind of person to act before thinking when he was scrambling to help someone.

“Should we go?” Seungjun asked, breaking the silence and looking at Jaeyoung.

“I think so, yeah. The storeroom is far from the Great Hall anyway, no one would be there even if the dinner hasn’t started yet.”

Seungjun nodded, suddenly seeming a bit more uncomfortable.

“Um,” he started, making Jaeyoung raise an eyebrow, “About the storeroom… We have to use the private one.”

“Oh, that. Yeah, I thought that was obvious already. The student storeroom wouldn’t have rare ingredients.”

Seungjun’s face illuminated as his smile grew wide and his eyes sparkled, apparently reassured by Jaeyoung’s reaction.

“Alright! Let’s go then.”

Seungjun turned to Yuto, smiling gently at the younger boy, who was seated on the edge of the bed and had been quietly watching them talk.

“Can you walk, buddy? We’re going on a mission!”

Despite Seungjun’s enthusiasm—Jaeyoung truly admired him for being able to show such assurance and friendliness in spite of everything that kept happening—Yuto merely nodded and got onto his feet, showing that he was ready to follow them wherever they were going.

The trio left the Hufflepuff common room silently. Being back in the decorated but empty corridors felt weird. The whole castle was in a contradictory state, wearing an extravagant party outfit but with no one to see it. Christmas at Hogwarts had always been strange to Jaeyoung, but this year definitely topped all the others.

As they hurried towards the Potions classroom, Jaeyoung kept glancing at the blond boy, noticing that something was bothering him. Seungjun wasn’t someone hard to decipher, he usually offered his emotions as they were, smiling when he was happy, pouting when he wasn't satisfied, and here Seungjun’s face had been left emotionless for too long for it to be normal.

“I’m sorry, Jaeyoung.”

“Hmm?” The younger waited for an explanation.

“For all of this. You shouldn’t have been involved, and I’m sorry for being such a bad friend, such an idiot.”

Seungjun's big sigh made Jaeyoung smile with empathy.

“It’s not your fault, I only blame Minkyun for this.”

“Minkyun? Why?” Seungjun was now the one who was confused, his big eyes trying to read the answer in Jaeyoung’s.

“He’s the one who woke me up. He came to me for help.”

Seungjun froze for a few seconds. His “ _What?!_ ” echoed slightly in the corridor, indicating he understood everything that was implied by Jaeyoung’s statement.

“How could he? Does he know the password?!”

“He doesn’t.”

“That doesn’t make any sense!” Seungjun whined, desperate to know what Jaeyoung was hiding from him.

But Jaeyoung enjoyed being one of the few to know Minkyun’s secret.

“Sorry, I can’t tell you. Only Minkyun can tell you.”

Seungjun was clearly disappointed by this and he dodged Jaeyoung’s hand that came to mess up his hair.

Jaeyoung opened his mouth to add something when Seungjun stopped dead in his tracks, putting his finger to his lips. Jaeyoung didn't have time to question anything before the other pulled them into the nearest corridor frantically, casting an _Alohomora_ on the first door they came across and pushing the others into the room.

He exchanged a confused glance with Yuto before the light in the room went out as Seungjun pulled the door shut behind them. Jaeyoung pulled out his own wand and cast Lumos, illuminating the space around them. Seungjun had his ear pressed against the door, apparently trying to detect whatever he had heard outside, but he seemed deeply annoyed by the light. He turned and began making big, messy gestures to indicate to Jaeyoung to turn it off, but Jaeyoung ignored him and simply started to walk, moving away from the door.

The room was just a classroom, but Jaeyoung had no memory of ever entering it. He walked to the cupboard, opening it in order to fill his growing curiosity.

“What is it?” asked Yuto who had followed him, looking at the textbook Jaeyoung was now holding.

“Muggle Studies,” he answered, putting the book down again.

“Muggle? What is that?”

Jaeyoung didn’t flinch at the sudden question. “Normal people.”

Yuto didn’t seem satisfied and Jaeyoung smiled as he anticipated his question.

“Then what are we?” Yuto asked in a cute pout, his eyebrows furrowed in thought.

“Normal people too,” Jaeyoung answered as it was as simple as it seemed.

Yuto looked at Jaeyoung as if he were waiting for more.

“Do you want to know a secret?” the Slytherin whispered with a grin, making Yuto’s eyes shine with sudden curiosity as he nodded.

“I didn’t choose this study because all of it makes me uncomfortable. We shouldn’t be focused on our own little world, we should learn to share it with non-magic people. But not like this. We don’t need a lecture, a professor, or a classroom for this.”

Yuto didn’t say anything for a few seconds and Jaeyoung held his breath, unsure if his silence was good or bad.

“You’re so cool,” the younger finally whispered and Jaeyoung immediately felt his cheeks and ears burn from the sudden compliment.

The Slytherin only laughed to hide his embarrassment and quickly messed with Yuto’s hair before walking back to Seungjun, glad he had to turn off his _Lumos_ so the darkness would hide his reddish face.

“Will you finally explain what you were being so dramatic for?” he asked, crossing his arms. Seungjun finally stepped back from the door.

“The caretaker! He was there!”

“What are you saying-”

“I heard him! I swear to god every time I’m trying to go to some forbidden part of the castle he’s _there!_ I’m sure he cursed me to always know where I am. Or else, he’s got superpowers! Like Spiderman. I’m sure he has some Spidey-Senses only focused on me.”

“I’m pretty sure I’m missing the Muggle reference here,” he admitted, and Jaeyoung earned a loud scoff and a “You don’t know about _Spiderman?_ ” A judgemental look from Yuto reminded him of what he had just told the younger boy.

“I know what Spiderman is, but not the details, alright?” he tried to defend himself, but Seungjun was still looking at him in disbelief. “I’m pretty sure you have the same powers as he does. How were you even able to hear him?”

“I have to survive! If he’s able to know where I am then I have to evolve too, or it would be the end of me! That’s just co-evolution.”

Jaeyoung snorted, “You sure did learn your History of Magic lesson about Darwin well.”

Seungjun made a face, as if he were saying _of course I did_ , before partially opening the door, scanning the corridor.

“I think we’re safe…” he whispered, stepping outside.

“Maybe he was just going to the dinner.”

“Possibly. But still, how come he had to cross our path out of every other corridor he could have used,” grumbled his friend.

“Let’s not lose more time,” Jaeyoung urged, offering his hand to Yuto.

The younger blinked in confusion, hesitating, but he ended up taking it. Jaeyoung smiled at him, happy that he wasn’t rejected.

The trio finally reached the Potions classroom. All of the important ingredients were kept in the professor’s storeroom, which they would have to break into and get out of quickly.

“You two should just stay here. I’ll take the list with me and be quick, and you just stand guard. If I’m the one caught stealing things it would be easier to handle than either of you,” Jaeyoung stated. Seungjun looked like he was going to disagree, but slowly he nodded, turning to wait outside the door. Yuto squeezed Jaeyoung’s hand and Jaeyoung raised an eyebrow to encourage him to say what was bothering him.

But Yuto let go of his hand, and Jaeyoung couldn’t decide if it was a good or bad thing.

He turned around, feeling their eyes on his back, and used an _Alohomora_ on the door which immediately opened.

“I wonder why they don’t use better protection for rooms like this when they are the one teaching us how to break into them,” Jaeyoung heard Seungjun wonder just before he entered the storage.

It was definitely not the first time he had entered the storeroom, and being in charted territory made him relax. Sucking up to his professors surely came as a benefit. Especially with how packed the room was, the enormous shelves almost reaching the ceiling and the different ingredients and jars seemingly not well organized; where some would be lost, he had learned the logic behind it. He already knew where some of the ingredients were stored, collecting them easily, but he had to stop and think for a few of them. He had been sure he would know everything written on the list, but that wasn’t the case. He sighed in defeat.

“Seungjun, can you come here please?”

After a few moments, his friend appeared.

“What is it?” Seungjun asked as he entered the small room.

“I have no idea where the Cowbane is. And not only that,” he quickly showed the few missing substances and Seungjun only hummed in understanding.

“Ah, Cowbane, it’s used in the Shrinking Solution we’ll learn in a few weeks. There,” the boy bent down and picked up a jar filled with an aggressive purple liquid that he carefully collected in a flasc.

“As for the rest…” he climbed up the closest ladder, looking for something.

Jaeyoung could hear some “why isn’t it here,” and “did he run out of it already?” that weren’t reassuring at all, and he stood lamely below Seungjun as he waited.

“Can you find it?” the younger asked, looking around him again in case some labels on the containers revealed what they were looking for.

“No, it’s not here anymore,” Seungjun complained, going down the steps.

“So what are we supposed to do?”

“Let’s just go back for now. If I don’t eat anything in the next few minutes I’ll die and that would be very unfortunate.”

Jaeyoung silently agreed, but he could sense that Seungjun wasn’t telling him everything. Yet, he trusted him; he always did, even before the blond boy had become his Quidditch captain. Seungjun was trustworthy, especially when it concerned someone other than himself, when it was about those he cherished.

And Jaeyoung wasn’t the type of guy to trust everyone.

“Let’s go.”

꧁꧂ 

If Yuto was honest with himself, he had absolutely no idea what was happening.

From what he could gather since he had woken up, he was the tether between two groups of very different boys.

Hyojin, the red-haired one, was the oldest and seemed to be the one everyone looked to for guidance. He took on very different tones with each situation, but as the day wore on Yuto could tell it was taking a toll on him. Hyojin looked at him like he was calculating something in the back of his mind, but he was more focused on directing the others than whatever he thought about Yuto. Yuto got the impression they hadn’t been close before he had forgotten everything.

The other four looked at him like their hearts were breaking.

He had tried, really tried, to remember them. From what Minkyun had told him, they hadn’t been at school for very long, and it was only December, which would explain the snow. He thought he remembered a… train? That was how he got here, at least. The others kept using words he couldn’t understand, but when they explained it to him he found he used a different word for the same thing. Minkyun and Changyoon seemed the most used to this fact and helped him readily.

Changyoon was… awkward. His nerves radiated off him in waves and it made Yuto a little uneasy. Every question he asked Yuto seemed hesitant and even a little fearful. Changyoon struggled to get along with the others unless Minkyun was in the room with him. Clearly, he was Changyoon’s best friend, and Yuto guessed he had been their best friend, too.

Out of all of them Minkyun was the most comforting, the most willing to accept that he didn’t know anything at all. He was only a year older than Yuto, but his patience made him seem more like Hyojin. It was a little bit of a relief, honestly, even though Yuto could see that he was hurting. When Changyoon became overwhelming, Minkyun would pull him away with a bright smile and suggest a distraction. When Yuto was shaken out of his sleep by dreams he couldn’t remember, Minkyun was there to offer him warm reassurance.

Yuto hadn’t seen Jaeyoung much before he had gone to the library with Minkyun, and he had disappeared once they had returned because of his clothes. From what he could tell, Jaeyoung seemed incredibly patient with the others as they scrambled to solve Yuto’s problem. He didn’t have much to say, but was a voice of reason when things became too heated. He was another comfort to Yuto, who felt incredibly out of place at times. Yuto liked him a lot.

Seungjun was the most interesting. His relationship with the others was interesting. He maneuvered through interactions almost like a bar of soap slipping through someone’s fingers. Yuto knew he was the reason behind his lapse in memory and yet… he couldn’t bring himself to be angry. Or upset. Even when everyone else was upset for him. Yuto could see how much Seungjun cared as he tread lightly around the others. Treated him kindly and then disappeared to focus on something with a frown creasing his friendly face.

Yuto thought about this as he followed Jaeyoung and Seungjun down corridors he should have remembered. The two Slytherins, that’s what house they were in, were bantering pleasantly, and every so often Jaeyoung would squeeze his hand.

Guilt had been gnawing at him all day as he watched them all fret over his health. It bothered him that he couldn’t help, had to sit in Minkyun and Changyoon’s room as the others risked getting caught doing questionable things for him.

Seungjun looked guilty too. He offered a bright smile to him, but Yuto could see the pain behind his eyes as they stood together, waiting for Jaeyoung to steal what was needed.

“This is probably so weird,” the older said with a sigh. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Yuto comforted, “you didn’t mean to.”

Seungjun laughed shortly at that. “No, I didn’t. Are you hurting anywhere again?”

Yuto shook his head. “I’m okay.”

Suddenly Jaeyoung was calling for Seungjun from inside the storeroom. Seungjun sighed again and held Yuto’s shoulder for a moment. “I’ll be right back.” The look in his eyes was a desperate promise.

“Okay.”

The corridor was cold and empty with just him standing in it.

Like the river in his dreams.

He took a deep breath. He was safe here.

Yuto closed his eyes as a wave of vertigo slammed into him. He hadn’t been alone in a few hours, but now that he was he could feel the prickle of something watching him along the back of his neck.

When he opened his eyes again, all he could see was the red sunset glaring through the windows. The snow had stopped and the sun was bleeding onto the clouds. Too bright, too much. He put his hand against the wall and dizzily slid to the floor.

Seungjun would be so upset, he thought. His cheeks felt colder with sudden wetness. Oh, he was crying.

He fought the fear. Every time he blinked the dying sun was seared into the backs of his eyelids. Jaeyoung was right inside, it was okay. He heaved a breath and then another. The river was drowning him.

Whispers calling his name in voices he didn’t remember.

It was so cold. But he would go back, he could see Minkyun soon. Changyoon would be there. And Hyojin. It was warm in the common room.

He was trembling violently. But he could see his hands. Breathing, in, out, yes, he was fine.

He scrambled to remember everything he had learned today. He couldn’t forget everything again, it would hurt them all too much. Minkyun, Changyoon. Hyojin, Seungjun. _Jaeyoung_.

“Yuto, hey bud. Yuto,” Jaeyoung was moving to crouch in front of him, but Yuto shot up to meet him.

“I’m cold, Jaeyoung,” he whimpered, and the older engulfed him in a hug immediately.

“What happened?” That was Seungjun. Yuto tilted his face to look at him, and the other looked right back worriedly.

“I thought,” Yuto sucked in a breath. Tried to calm his pounding heart. “I thought I was forgetting again.”

Seungjun’s eyes widened in alarm.

“I’m okay!” Yuto rushed to ease his concern. “I’m fine, I swear. You’re Seungjun, he’s Jaeyoung. The others are eating dinner.”

Neither of them looked convinced, but Yuto put on his best smile and nodded to the bag in Seungjun’s hands. “Did you find everything?”

Seungjun shook his head. “There’s a few things out of stock. We could probably find them in the forest, but I don’t know how smart it is to go in there.”

“The forest?” Yuto asked.

Jaeyoung’s voice rumbled in his chest against Yuto’s cheek as he spoke. “The Forbidden Forest. It’s called that for a reason, Jun. Hyojin would have an aneurysm if you tried to find anything in there.”

“I know, I’m just saying. I don’t know where else we’re going to find this stuff,” the other sighed. “C’mon, let’s head back. We’ve probably taken too long by now and Hyojin will be worried.”

Seungjun held out his hand and Yuto took it gladly. He didn’t mind the others’ affection, it probably comforted them as much as it did him. Plus, it was cold outside, and he would take any extra body heat that he could get.

꧁꧂ 

Changyoon, Minkyun and Hyojin were back in the Hufflepuff dorm, and Changyoon still wasn’t able to relax. Even with Minkyun’s hand on his shoulder, even with his friend’s little jokes about Hyojin or himself, he didn’t know if it was because of the tiredness that was slowly kicking in or if it was something else.

“Why aren’t they back already?” Hyojin finally asked as he paced in circles. He had been moving for the past several minutes, yet his worries were being vocalized for the first time.

“Stop walking or you’ll make a hole in the carpet,” Minkyun teased with a grin.

“Stop frowning or you’ll have wrinkles,” Changyoon added.

Hyojin stopped and looked at the two boys sitting on the bed in front of him with an offended glare.

“That’s easy for you to say! I’ve been stuck in a body that isn’t mine for more than two hours now! And they were supposed to be back ages ago! What if something happened and-”

“Hyojin,” Minkyun interrupted, “Trust them, okay? I’m sure they’re coming back as we speak.”

“I’m trusting them! It’s just- What if- What if something happened to Yuto?”

“He’ll be fine, Seungjun and Jaeyoung are with him,” Changyoon tried, feeling bad seeing his classmate in such distress. “You know them both better than we do, why are you more worried?”

Hyojin sighed in defeat and came to sit next to Changyoon. The Hufflepuff patted the other’s back with a little smile, hoping that it would help him. He was getting accustomed to seeing Hyojin as Yuto, he clearly acted differently from the youngest and Changyoon’s mind wasn’t as confused as it had been at the beginning.

“I’m hearing something!” Minkyun suddenly exclaimed, jumping onto his feet in excitement.

Changyoon had been startled by his friend and had almost collapsed onto Hyojin, who hit the boy on his shoulder. “You scared me more than he did!”

“Why would you hit me when it’s his fault!” Changyoon complained in a pout.

The other didn’t have the time to answer as the door to the bedroom flew open and blond hair entered with a loud “I’m so hungry!”

Changyoon watched as Hyojin rushed at his best friend without hesitation, the Slytherin welcoming him with a warm smile and sparkling eyes.

“Lee Seungjun! You’re way too fucking talented, I’m still not in my own body!”

“Hello, my dear best friend,” the taller cooed. “Of course, I am. Sorry for being a bit late though, we almost got into trouble at one point. And thank you for the compliment.” A wide grin spread across his face as he squished Hyojin’s cheeks between his palms. “It’s such a shame you’re still in that very adorable form.”

Changyoon couldn’t help but to snort at the fifth-year’s antics, rolling his eyes. He greeted Jaeyoung and Yuto with a nod.

“There are two Yutos!” Minkyun laughed happily, clapping his hands.

“We don't have time to mess around! The dinner is supposed to end soon and we are being way too suspect right now!” Hyojin said, avoiding Minkyun as he tried desperately to pull him next to the real Yuto.

“Someone needs to take my other Polyjuice,” Seungjun stated after Hyojin had come to hide behind him.

Changyoon blinked.

“Why are you all looking at me?”

“Yuto can’t, so obviously…” Seungjun tried to explain.

Changyoon definitely hadn’t expected his first day as a seventeen-year-old to turn out like this.

“Please,” Hyojin pleaded. The elder having the same face and voice as Yuto wasn’t helping Changyoon at all.

“Fine,” Changyoon surrendered, standing up. He turned to Seungjun. “Where’s the potion?”

“Right here,” Seungjun announced, taking a little flask out of his robe pocket.

At first, Changyoon thought the liquid in it was transparent, but as he looked closer he noticed a pretty pink tint to it as it glistened under the light.

“Wait, when did you get some of my hair?” one of the Yutos asked in disbelief.

“I’m well-organized,” Seungjun answered as Changyoon took the precious object.

“You should go out there to take it,” the blond advised, pointing to the door with his chin.

“Thanks,” Changyoon mumbled, making the effort to smile.

Effort? It came more naturally than he had thought it would. He was still mad at Seungjun, of course, but he wasn’t stubborn to the point of continuing to show hostility in this situation. Especially with what he had witnessed earlier, and the awareness that Seungjun was being nice to him. This was much odder. Seungjun being nice to him, holding normal conversation as normal human beings in a normal relationship… It didn’t even come to Changyoon’s mind to mock him, or doubt what kind of potion this really was. Maybe it was the fatigue. Maybe not.

The Hufflepuff went out and swallowed his fear with the Polyjuice.

It tasted weird. Not a bad kind of weird, but a weird that he never had tasted before, something unique. He couldn’t recognize everything, but he was able to tell that there was cinnamon, and maybe cream. And rose. Kim Hyojin tasted like roses.

Transforming into another person wasn’t as odd as he had imagined. He was lucky that Hyojin was physically similar to him, they were pretty much the same height, and the only major difference he noticed was that his hands were _tinier_. He moved a bit, without much difficulty, and he thought confidently that this wasn’t going to be hard. He just had to be careful with his mannerisms from now on.

When he returned to his bedroom, all eyes landed on him again. There was a beat of silence, and then everyone spoke at once. Changyoon frowned in confusion. Did something happen in the short time he was gone?

“What’s with your face? Don’t tell me it tasted bad,” the Yuto he guessed was Hyojin asked.

“Not bad, no… Why are you asking anyway?”

“Polyjuice tastes differently according to the people you transform into,” Jaeyoung explained, “But Hyung, that’s not the problem-”

“Your hair is black!” Minkyun interrupted, pointing at the Hufflepuff’s head.

“ _What?_ ”

As dumb as it sounded, Changyoon tried to look up to see his own hair. He had to pull a string of it in front of his eyes in order to confirm his best friend’s words.

“How am I supposed to-”

" _Crinos Muito_."

Changyoon turned around to face Seungjun, who nodded as he looked at Changyoon’s hair.

“Perfect. Now let’s go eat!” he exclaimed, handing Changyoon the robe Hyojin had left behind earlier.

Changyoon closed his mouth and put on the uniform, admiring the “P” next to Gryffindor’s lion emblem. He looked up again, startled as Seungjun held out a pair of glasses, and he blinked in confusion.

“How come my vision is good if I’m in Hyojin’s body?”

“They’re fake,” Seungjun stated simply with an amused smirk, putting the said glasses on Changyoon’s nose himself.

“Alright, let’s go and let’s look like we are in a hurry,” Jaeyoung suggested. Seungjun didn’t wait for either of them, turning and leaving immediately.

Even if the job of being Hyojin didn’t seem too hard, the rush of events made Changyoon feel a bit overwhelmed. When his eyes met Minkyun’s and his friend’s dimples appeared in an encouraging smile, Changyoon was grateful.

⁕⁕⁕  
  


The dinner went well, better than Changyoon had expected. Jaeyoung had explained why they were late—blaming Seungjun—and since it was Christmas, no points had been deducted for any of them. Plus, the food had been delicious, and it was pleasant to be a simple observer as the two Slytherins, both extroverts, kept the conversation alive by themselves.

Except once.

_“If you don’t like it, why did you accept it? You could have just asked Minkyun to do it,” Seungjun had asked._

_The blond was a great observer, apparently. Changyoon understood that there was no harm in the question, only misplaced curiosity._

_“I can’t, I’m the older one. I’m the one that has to protect him, not the opposite.”_

_Changyoon clenched his fists._

_“I keep doing nothing, not helping at all when he continues to put himself in danger again and again... I couldn’t just… stay put again, relying on him like a coward and closing my eyes to the problem. I’m not like that.”_

_There was a meaningful silence._

_“I’m sorry…” Seungjun mumbled, dodging Changyoon’s gaze with something similar to shame._

_“Stop being sorry for everything. I don’t care,” the older stated, ending the conversation._

Changyoon was still thinking about it, for some reason. Seungjun had shown _concern_. Like a friend would. When they had hated each other a mere two days ago. Somehow many things had already changed in that short span of time. More than Changyoon would like to admit.

“Guys,” Seungjun interrupted as they left the Great Hall.

“Yeah?” Jaeyoung encouraged.

“I’m sorry, but I have to go to our dorm very quickly… There is one thing I have to check.”

“Oh, sure. See you.”

Changyoon looked at Jaeyoung, his eyebrow raised with the questions that were filling his mind.

“Don’t worry too much, he’s always like that. Leaving somewhere, doing something. And you only know later what it was about.”

Changyoon nodded, “Because later, I would have been pranked.”

Jaeyoung stayed silent for a few seconds and Changyoon suspected he was trying to not laugh.

“Well, most of the time, yeah.”

Changyoon giggled a bit, sharing a knowing glance with the Slytherin who smiled amusedly.

The two of them headed back to the warmth of the Hufflepuff common room. When Changyoon pushed the door to his shared bedroom open, a Yuto materialized in front of him, catching him off guard.

“Where is Seungjun?!”

“Seungjun? He-”

“He went back to our dormitory,” Jaeyoung explained, hugging the real Yuto that was standing nearby.

“Did you seriously let him go alone?!”

“What? Why not?” Changyoon asked, his gaze locking with Minkyun’s, who seemed as confused as he was.

“Yuto told me they couldn’t find every ingredient. So I started to check where to find the ones remaining.”

“And…?” Changyoon was becoming a bit impatient, almost annoyed by how long the explanation was lasting when it seemed to be an emergency.

“The Forest.”

“ _What?_ ”

“You have to go after him! You have to stop him, please!”

“Wait- Why me??”

“It’s past curfew already! You’re me, only you can go without risking too much attention! I promise the moment the Polyjuice stops I’ll come to help you, but for now only you can get him!”

For the second time that day, all eyes were on Changyoon. Expecting him to make the right decision, expecting him to be the protagonist he had never tried to be ever in his life, before now. And for the second time, he held eye contact with Minkyun. But this time, his best friend’s eyes were full of fear, of concern. They were hoping for Changyoon to be Changyoon, to still be that well-balanced student who only agreed on making safe decisions.

“Alright.”

꧁꧂ 

_Technically_ , Seungjun hadn’t lied when he said he was going back to their dormitory. He had figured he would need something to carry what he collected from the Forest. And warmer clothes. He was bundled up tightly now in what was probably Jaeyoung’s thick scarf (he hadn’t cared to look at which one he had grabbed) and his cloak wrapped tightly around his body.

Hyojin was going to kill him.

But he had to do this. Now was better than tomorrow morning when he would definitely be caught and probably be expelled. He clearly wasn’t thinking properly, running on however many hours of sleep he had gotten after the party. He couldn’t imagine how the others were fairing.

His shoes crunched loudly in the snow, and its coldness seeped into his socks and numbed his toes. It was dark in the Forest. He didn’t know what he had been expecting, maybe some will-o’-the-wisps to guide his way or something. He laughed to himself at the idea.

He had already come across one of the missing ingredients by chance, stumbling over a patch of wild bubotubers as he tried to get far enough into the Forest to conceal his _Lumos._ They were disgusting, wriggling by themselves and ripe with pus—which fortunately he needed, but _oh_ they were so much grosser than he remembered. He did his best to pick a few, their squirming making his skin crawl a little as he held them so that he wouldn’t accidentally squeeze their horrible lumps. This of course didn’t work, and he managed to cover his hands in the thick liquid when he gripped one a little too hard.

Seungjun was good at potions, but he was used to everything being prepared for him. Once, he had had to restock the storeroom as punishment, but _this_ experience was nowhere near the same as collecting the tidy bundles of ingredients he was required to fetch from the Herbology professor.

He probably deserved it though.

He trudged further into the Forest with his wand out and a little apprehension buzzing under his skin. He knew it was dangerous here, but he hadn’t really stopped to consider that fact as he entered without a second thought. He desperately wanted Yuto to be okay again, for Hyojin to stop finding reasons to be awkward with him and maybe even for Changyoon to stay friendly with him.

A branch cracked loudly behind him.

Seungjun jumped, whirling around with his wand at the ready but not entirely sure what he’d do with it, terrified of what he faced.

But then there was a voice.

“Seungjun,” it called.

He knew that voice.

“Jin?”

Hyojin’s small face appeared in the light of his wand and Seungjun relaxed fractionally. A warmth filled his chest.

“Changyoon.”

Oh.

“Oh,” he said dumbly. The balloon burst, and he was left cold. “Has it not worn off for either of you yet?” He admired his handiwork for a moment. Changyoon’s bitter expression looked _just_ like Hyojin.

“No, it hasn’t.” The other was by his side now, lifting his own wand to let its _Lumos_ brighten more of their surroundings. “Why do you smell like petrol?”

Seungjun huffed and had it been the real Hyojin he probably would have hit his shoulder. “I’m collecting ingredients.”

“You know there are bubotubers in the greenhouses, right? You… could have just asked me to get them for you.”

Seungjun bit back his irritated response, remembering that they were getting along. “I didn’t, no.”

In the dim lighting and the snow, everything looked muted. The bright red he had cast onto Changyoon’s head an hour prior was now just mere rust in the shadows, and the trees reflected nothing back to them, instead looming quiet and dark.

Seungjun shuffled awkwardly for a moment trying to hold his wand steady as he reached into his bag. Something warm wrapped around his hand without warning, and he jumped before he realized that it was Changyoon in his little Hyojin body taking the wand to help him. Their eyes met and he gave him a nod. Seungjun had discarded his gloves while he had been picking the bubotubers, opting to keep the expensive dragonskin clean and let his own hands suffer the consequences. But Changyoon’s were still covered and radiated the only heat he had felt since he had left the castle.

“Are these good enough?” Seungjun asked, suddenly self conscious.

Changyoon shifted to look into his bag, squinting at the wriggling plants.

“They look healthy, yes. Do you just need the pus? You could have just collected some in a—oh my god, did you touch them with your bare hands?”

Changyoon’s grip on his fingers grew tighter and Seungjun realized he hadn’t let go of his wand.

“...Yes?”

“Shit, you idiot. Do you not remember _anything_ from fourth-year Herbology?” Quickly the older boy pulled Seungjun’s wand fully from his hand, holding both in one of his as he used the other to examine his skin.

“How much did you get on you?”

“Not a lot?”

“ _Seungjun_.”

The Slytherin huffed. “You know you’re not actually Hyo, right? Is this how you talk to Minkyun?”

Changyoon glared at him with Hyojin’s pretty eyes. “ _No_ , I’m not Hyojin. Minkyun’s almost as stupid as you are sometimes, of course I treat him like this.”

Despite the irritation in his voice, his fingers ran delicately over Seungjun’s hands, checking for welts.

“I wiped it off in the snow,” Seungjun protested. “It’s probably fine.”

“Hyojin will kick your ass _and_ my ass for this.” Annoyed, Changyoon dropped his hands finally, taking a clear step away from him. “What else do you need, you couldn’t have possibly come out here for just bubotubers.”

A grin split Seungjun’s face. “You know me too well.”

He pretended he was looking at Changyoon’s sharp features instead of his best friend’s delicate round ones. Tried his hardest to imagine brown hair and cat-like eyes, a solid stature instead of Hyojin’s shit posture. He squinted into the dark and sighed.

Changyoon started to walk, muttering something that sounded like, “We are definitely getting expelled for this.” Seungjun scrambled to follow, hating the idea of being left alone for once. The elder set a brutal pace into the depths of the trees, and Seungjun was surprised by his forwardness.

“Aren’t you exhausted? Have you and Minkyun even slept since the party?” he questioned, matching his steps with Changyoon’s.

Changyoon laughed, and it sounded rough. “Minkyun napped a little while we were translating, maybe. I think if I stop moving for more than twenty seconds I’ll fall asleep on my feet.”

“Why did you come after me then?” Seungjun complained. “If anything happens your reactions will be too slow.”

“Because Hyojin asked me to. And like I said earlier, if I didn’t, _Minkyun_ would, because he’s an- because he cares too much about things he shouldn’t. And he’s reckless and he’s fifteen. And we’re in the _Forbidden Forest_.”

Seungjun wondered vaguely if this was how Hyojin felt about _him_. “Why are you so close with a fourth-year?”

Changyoon turned his head and shot him a look, and Seungjun realized with a start that the other was slowly turning back into himself. The roundness of Hyojin’s cheeks was slowly redistributing itself into Changyoon’s distinctive face shape, and his eyes lost their wide, doe-like innocence with each passing second.

“We’re roommates, obviously,” Changyoon bit, and then blinked in surprise as he realized he had spoken with his own voice. “He’s annoyingly persistent, if you haven’t noticed.”

Seungjun nodded, remembering his first meeting with Minkyun.

“I think I tried to hate him at first, but he just kept acting like we were already friends. He’s ridiculous, but he cares _so much_.” Changyoon’s voice was fond now. “I don’t know. He’s...Minkyun. He’s done things that have scared the shit out of me, honestly. I want to beat him to death half the time.” Changyoon turned his gaze on Seungjun, and there was something warm in his eyes that reflected in their wandlight. “He knows every corner of Hogwarts, I swear. I used to wake up in the dead of night and he’d be gone, or just coming back, and it was horrifying. But he wasn’t ever caught.” He paused for a second like something had occurred to him.

“Do you and Hyojin ever hug?”

Seungjun tripped, naturally taken aback by the sudden question.

“Uh, yes? Why, did he tell you we don’t? He’s a fucking liar, oh my god, he loves affection but refuses to admit it.”

Changyoon laughed, unrestrained, and Seungjun blinked in surprise.

“What?”

“Nothing, just- nothing.”

“What did he say, Changyoon?”

“Kyun asked him,” was his only answer.

They trudged through a significant portion of the Forest in silence. Seungjun had no idea if Changyoon knew where they were going, if they were even following a path or just walking in circles.

“Changyoon,” he panted, “stop, please. We’re so lost.”

“I actually have no idea what you’re looking for, you never told me,” Changyoon said as he turned. Seungjun swore under his breath and reached for the scrap of paper he had written the ingredients on.

“Mmm. I have almost everything, there’s just-” He felt Changyoon’s breath brush against his cheek and scrunched his nose. “Uh. We have the basics for the Antidote to Common Poisons, and the storeroom was out of any Chizpurfle carapaces…”

“Do you… know what you’re making?”

Seungjun laughed. “You translated the ingredients for the _Lethe_ potion. I’m trying to make an antidote to something less strong since we don’t know exactly what I made. Yuto’s symptoms are all over the place, some of them aren’t even listed in what you wrote down for me. He’s forgotten everything after he came to Hogwarts, sans the fact that he’s a wizard. He obviously knows how to use his magic and he knows most of the ingredients I showed him. He’s had nausea, headaches, he’s coughed up blood, and he’s had dizzy spells. _And_ he’s had nightmares, from what Minkyun’s told me. I think they’re making him paranoid.”

Changyoon stared at him with wide eyes. “So… You’re just _guessing?_ ”

“Well, yeah. I’ve got to make some kind of combination antidote, because there’s no way I made a fully powerful _Lethe_ with what I brought to the party. The Antidote to Common Poisons is easy, it’ll probably cure the nausea, maybe the dizziness. If I work out how to integrate the Antidote to Uncommon Poisons, it’ll-”

“You know I have no fucking idea what you’re talking about right?” Changyoon was smiling.

“Okay, fine. Those are the most basic antidotes. Yes, I’m just guessing. But that’s the best I can do.”

Changyoon shook his head in disbelief.

“What are you looking for?”

Seungjun sighed. “I’m not sure if you remember what a Graphorn is?”

Changyoon shook his head. “Not at all.”

Seungjun smiled at that. “You’re in for a hell of a surprise then. How good are you at dueling?”

“Lee Seungjun, are you threatening me?” Changyoon taunted. “Don’t you know my spellcasting is well above average?”

“Nice, but you’re no Hyojin,” Seungjun stuck out his tongue and Changyoon moved to punch him, which Seungjun avoided. “Unfortunately, we’re attacking a creature in its habitat, but that’s the only way to get what I need.”

“Attacking?”

“Keep up, Changyoon. Yes, we have to be quick or it’ll kill us both, easily. I need one of its horns, which we can only get by hitting it with a spell.”

Changyoon considered this for a moment in silence. “So… you’re saying we go find a Graphorn, shoot a nasty spell at it, collect it’s horn, and go back?”

“Perfect, I’m glad you understand.” Seungjun grinned at him and began to walk in a new direction. “We just need to find a nest, which shouldn’t be too hard.”

“Yeah, right, sure,” Changyoon grumbled.

They walked for some time in complete silence. The Forest, when one listened, was noisy in its own ways. The calls of faraway creatures sent chills down Seungjun’s spine. He focused on the crunch of their shoes in the snow, scanning his surroundings for any sort of change.

Eventually, they came across a break in the trees where watery moonlight spilled into the air. It was a clearing with a pond at its center, probably where many creatures got their water. Seungjun turned to look at Changyoon, who had fallen a little ways behind him in their traipse through the snow.

They began to stumble down the hill and into the clearing, to where the water reflected the dark, cloudy sky.

Suddenly, there was a gasp.

“Seungjun,” Changyoon breathed. Something clasped tightly around Seungjun’s elbow, and he realized belatedly that it was Changyoon’s hands. He skidded a little ways down the steep decline to a stop about halfway.

“Seungjun, there are Thestrals here.”

“What?” he whispered. Held his breath. “How do you know?”

He scanned the clearing, but he could see nothing moving. The water of the pond was like glass.

“I can see them.”

“ _What?_ ”

“I’ve always been able to see them. I didn’t know they lived in the Forest, though.”

Seungjun bit the inside of his cheek. Seeing a Thestral meant one had witnessed death firsthand, yet Changyoon seemed completely at ease.

“Are they… what are they doing?” His gaze flickered to the side of Changyoon’s face, which was illuminated by the weak moonlight. The other remained unbothered as he watched something down below. _He_ had witnessed death?

“Most of them are just laying down. Look,” he pointed and Seungjun watched as the water that wasn’t frozen in the pond started to ripple, “that one’s drinking.”

“I-” Seungjun was a little in shock. “Are you okay?”

Changyoon turned his gaze on him with a sad smile, regarding him for a moment. “It’s fine. My mom was a Muggle and had a terminal illness. She was happy though, don’t worry.”

Seungjun’s mind went blank. He had never expected to learn such a thing about Changyoon, especially not directly from the boy himself. He had the strangely strong desire to pull the Hufflepuff into a hug or something. Instead, he patted the hand that was still gripping his elbow.

“I’m sorry.”

Changyoon’s gentle smile widened into something evil. “You wanna touch them?”

“What?! _No!_ ”

“What, are you scared?” Changyoon’s laugh was too loud in the still air. “They’re nice, come on!” With that, he began to drag Seungjun down the hill.

“Stop! Stop! No! I’m good!” he shrieked. “Lee Changyoon, stop! I’m good! Don’t!”

“Oh, c’mon, _Lee Seungjun!_ Better to show you than to explain!” Changyoon stopped abruptly at the waterline, intense eyes focused on something in the air in front of them, something Seungjun couldn’t see.

“Ready?” he whispered. Seungjun bit his lip and nodded, unsure. Delicately, Changyoon held his forearm and lifted it until Seungjun felt something that was there, something _solid_. He gasped quietly and Changyoon smiled.

“See? They’re cool.”

Seungjun huffed and continued to pet at the creature’s side gently. “I didn’t scare them away with my yelling?”

“They pull the carriages for the school, they’re used to people being noisy.” Changyoon let go of his wrist and took a few steps away to watch him.

It was silent for a few minutes as Seungjun stood by the Thestral’s side. He knew they were getting sidetracked, had no idea how late it really was. The moon was hidden by the clouds and it was only a matter of time before snow started to fall again.

He had opened his mouth to suggest they keep moving when the clatter of stones being knocked together sounded behind him. Seungjun had just enough time to whip around before a finger was shoved very close into his face.

“Lee Seungjun, what the _hell_ were you thinking coming out here this late! You _know_ the Forest is fucking dangerous and I couldn’t even come after you because your fucking potion wouldn’t wear off and now you’re just standing around with Lee Changyoon like you’re not risking your life like an idiot, I swear to god I’m going to kill you-”

“Hyojin?”

“-because now the others want to come after me and they’re all too young to be out here and we don’t even know what you’re looking for. What is _wrong_ with you?”

It took a moment for Seungjun’s brain to catch up with anything before he saw his best friend standing angrily before him in Hufflepuff robes, about ten seconds away from fitting his tiny hands around Seungjun’s neck and strangling him.

Seungjun blinked. “Ah. Hi.”

꧁꧂ 

The minutes Hyojin had been gone started to draw out endlessly as they sat and fidgeted. Jaeyoung and Minkyun were once again stuck together, watching Yuto eat in silence.

Only until the youngest had sighed unhappily.

"Why are we staying here? We should go there, too."

"It's too dangerous," Minkyun argued immediately.

"That's exactly the reason why we should go!"

"We aren't going, end of discussion," Minkyun concluded in a grave tone, his look now turning harsh.

"But what if they got hurt! They are putting themselves into danger because of me!"

"Yuto," Jaeyoung finally interrupted, "I know we said the Forest is dangerous, but they will be fine. You have to trust them."

Yuto opened his mouth only to close it, his face showing his distress and something similar to annoyance.

"They are doing this for me and you ask me to understand. How could I? How can I just stay here without complaining? That's unfair."

"This isn’t _your_ fault, that's where your reasoning is wrong," Jaeyoung countered.

Yuto seemed ready to sulk unless they agreed with him, and there was nothing that could change his mind. None of their arguments had been right, actually, and Jaeyoung knew it. But somehow, they had decided that staying safe was the right thing to do, as frustrating as it was to sit and wait.

Hyojin had left after changing into a Hufflepuff uniform, promising a quick "We'll be back safely," before disappearing out of the door. It hadn't been very reassuring, but knowing someone as skilled as Hyojin was joining the two Quidditch captains reassured Jaeyoung anyway. Jaeyoung was just hoping the elder would be able to find them. The Forbidden Forest was already difficult enough to navigate during the day, so a snowy night certainly posed a challenge.

"Can I go to the toilet?" Yuto asked bitterly, and Minkyun immediately opened the door and directed him where he had to go.

As soon as the third-year had left, Minkyun turned to Jaeyoung with determination in his eyes.

"I am going to help them. You stay here."

"I don't think so," Jaeyoung frowned.

"I’m an Animagus. I can sneak out easily without getting into trouble, it’d be easy for you to get caught. One person more could only be helpful to them and-"

"Minkyun, you're only a fourth-year. I'm not letting you go alone to the Forbidden Forest, might you be an Animagus or not."

"I'll be fine! I'll find them easily thanks to my sense of smell!” (Jaeyoung had almost snorted at this.) “You don't have any good argument to stop me anyway."

"What if you don't find them? What if-"

"If anything happens, if I'm- or we’re in a critical situation I'll use my wand to send a signal. You'll just have to keep an eye on the window. And if I do send one… just go get someone. And let's end all of this."

The atmosphere was as heavy as the words Minkyun had just pronounced. Their gazes were enough to tell that both of them knew perfectly what this implied.

"What if we did the opposite?"

"What do you mean? Get someone now-"

"Me going, you staying." Jaeyoung stated.

"What- No! You can't go out like this, you might get in trouble!"

"That shows you don't know me that well," the Slytherin pointed out, earning an exasperated look from the other.

"Are you good at duelling?" Jaeyoung questioned, feeling responsible for the younger Hufflepuff.

Changyoon's speech from earlier was replaying in his head. He just couldn't let someone younger than him take more risk when he himself was able to do it.

"Are you good at Defense Against the Dark Arts? Are you good at keeping your calm and handling your stress or panic during a dangerous situation?"

Minkyun flinched and Jaeyoung noticed his clenched fists. The younger was most likely searching for something to retort, and the Slytherin couldn't help but feel bad. It was harsh; asking these kinds of questions to a fifteen-year-old. Confronting him with the raw reality and what he could be facing once in the darkness of the trees.

"Why isn't Yuto back already?" Jaeyoung suddenly wondered, a small fear growing inside his heart.

"Do you think he fainted?" Minkyun worried, jumping to his feet and rushing out of the room.

Jaeyoung didn’t choose to follow Minkyun though, he ran into the common room, expecting to see some clues that could confirm what Jaeyoung was fearing.

“He’s not in the toilets!” Minkyun shouted, appearing at the top of the stairs.

“Fuck,” Jaeyoung swore, and both of them understood what this meant.

꧁꧂ 

Hyojin was more than angry, his blood was _boiling_. He didn’t even know how he had been able to find the two boys in front of him but now that he was here, he just wanted to let everything out. And he was going to.

“ _You!_ ” he said, pointing at Changyoon, “You were supposed to stop him! What the _fuck_ are you even doing so far in the forest? If Seungjun doesn’t want to obey you just have to use the Full Body-Bind curse!”

Seungjun took out his wand at that, apparently not sure if Hyojin was about to attack him or not.

“And how am I supposed to take him back if he can’t walk?” Changyoon snapped, placing himself in between Seungjun and Hyojin.

“Don’t take me for a fool, _Wingardium Leviosa_ is the first spell you learn at Hogwarts!”

Changyoon opened his mouth but closed it right away, looking at Hyojin with something the elder couldn’t decipher.

“You are both stupid, what was I suppose to do if something would have happened to you? Are you insane? This place is not a joke, it’s the _Forbidden Forest!_ Every being in here is dangerous and you could have _died!_ How are you taking this so lightly?”

He was only met with strong gazes, not a sliver of regret in them. Hyojin didn’t even know why he was lecturing them; it was obvious that they knew the risk they took by coming and that they had accepted it to try and cure Yuto.

“Let’s just go back… Please,” the red-haired boy sighed with pleading eyes.

Seungjun stood next to Changyoon and silently shook his head.

“Only one ingredient is left, I can’t go back yet.”

Hyojin passed a tired hand down his face, but he couldn’t stop his heart from feeling a sudden spark of hope.

“Alright. What is it?”

“Powder of Graphorn’s corn.”

His smile and heart dropped at the same time. This had to be a joke.

“Graphorn? _Graphorn?!_ ” Hyojin wasn’t mad, he just couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Actually, maybe he was a _little_ mad too.

“Yes. That’s why I wanted to go alone.”

“To go alone? You would die! Immediately!” The Gryffindor could feel the panic taking over him.

Hyojin never had panicked like this in this entire life; but it was definitely a situation he couldn’t have imagined being in. He could read too perfectly in his friend's eyes, in his friend’s face. Seungjun didn’t come to give up.

“Seungjun please…” he wasn’t surprised at the distress in his voice, but it made the Slytherin flinch, “Please let’s go back… Just… We’ll find another way but please let’s not do that…”

“We have to.”

Hyojin looked at Changyoon in confusion, trying to process that he was the only one really understanding what they were about to do.

This could only go wrong.

“If you don’t want to come with us, then don’t. It’s the last ingredient, Hyojin, after this everything will go back to what it was before.”

For the first time in his life, Hyojin felt hopeless.

When he looked back at Seungjun, he only found expectation, and it made Hyojin’s heart ache.

“Alright. Do you have a plan?”

Seungjun and Changyoon exchanged a surprised glance and the blond started to chew on his lip.

“I think it will be asleep. We just have to use the _Diffindo_ charm on the corn, then _Accio_ and run away,” Seungjun slowly explained, as if he himself was unsure about his plan.

“Does someone have a better idea?” Hyojin wondered, rubbing at his forehead in frustration.

As expected, the two boys only shook their heads.

“And how do we find the beast?” the older sighed, “The Forest is _not_ small.”

“We search.”

⁕⁕⁕  
  


They had been walking for minutes, maybe hours when Changyoon had screamed. Hyojin seriously didn’t know how they were still alive at this point. Despite passing by a few Acromantulas, it was as if the Forest was asleep. The cry had scared Hyojin to the point that he thought he was going to have a heart attack, and he pointed his _Lumos_ toward the Hufflepuff.

He saw it.

About twenty feet away from them, a large beast was lying in what he could guess was a sort of nest, branches assembled together to form a protective structure, half embedded in the roots of an immense tree.

Immediately, all three boys went to hide behind the nearest trees. Despite Seungjun being a few meters from Hyojin, he could hear his “ _Be quiet!_ ” and Changyoon replying “ _I’m sorry!_ ”

And now that they had _really_ found it, what was next?

Seungjun stood up.

Hyojin’s reflex had been to scream, to tell him to not stay in the the way, to not do anything dumb—but his thoughts had always had control over him, and he wasn’t able to vocalize anything.

“ _Diffindo!_ ”

A distorted scream resonated among the trees, making the leaves tremble in fear, each creature holding its breath. Hyojin was paralyzed, unable to see what had happened, unable to check on his best friend, and it was only when he heard Changyoon that it hit him.

“LEE SEUNGJUN! DON’T STAY THERE!”

_Seungjun had missed it._

And from his comfortable hidden spot, Hyojin finally dared to look at what was happening.

The creature, the Graphorn, was monstrous. A beast of muscles, its massive feet could easily break any human in two, its dark humped back protected it from any form of magic, and its face, these two small eyes shining in the darkness with tentacles like a disgusting beard, crowned with two golden corns.

Aiming for Seungjun.

When the beast had charged, Hyojin hadn’t been able to see if Seungjun had been able to dodge it, if Seungjun was even _alive_.

But Hyojin had immediately understood one thing: it was aiming for the last magic trace, tracking the feeling of spells in the air. His body started to run, nothing else in mind, knowing already that it was _suicide_ , that he should just go find help and pray Seungjun and Changyoon could survive until then.

When the creature appeared on his right again, their eyes met and a shiver passed down Hyojin’s spine.

“ _Diffindo!_ ”

The horn exploded, the main part of it flying into the air before falling down somewhere he couldn't see because of the dense vegetation.

The Graphorn screamed. It was like an earthquake, making the atmosphere shudder.

“RUN!” Hyojin shouted, hoping that Changyoon and Seungjun were both able to because this was their last chance.

He used the confusion of the beast to start running again, earning a few precious meters from it that probably only saved his life for a few seconds longer. The snow and darkness was making it too hard, and despite his mind searching for any solution—maybe a tree to climb in or a hole to hide in—nothing seemed suitable.

He turned around at one point, his eyes widening at how near the Graphorn was and his instinct was to cast an _Incendio_. Yet nothing happened, and Hyojin cursed at himself for being so scared, for not being able to cast even one of the simplest spells.

He was already feeling winded from his short sprint and he could hear the beast getting closer each second. He decided to try his chances as a massive tree appeared more clearly in front of him. Just before crashing against it, he jumped to his left, ignoring the pain coming from the brambles he had fallen into, getting on his feet again as the beast slammed into the tree. The moment it turned its head toward him, Hyojin gathered up his courage, breathing deeply before casting a perfect _Confringo_.

It howled, the pain resonating from the deep sound as one of its eyes was destroyed by Hyojin’s spell.

He had played his best cards, hoping that it would stun the beast enough to stop it.

He didn’t wait to learn if he had been right or not and started to run, his survival instincts striking again as his burning lungs asked for a rest but his will pushed his legs to an undetermined outcome.

“ _Hyojin!_ ”

There was a blond head to his left; Seungjun was running alongside him but from a few meters away.

“What are you doing here?!” Hyojin shrieked, panicked voice enlightening his feelings. His bold move was useless if the others hadn’t ran away.

“You have to Apparate!”

“Are you crazy?”

“That’s our only chance!” Seungjun quickly turned and cast a spell, which Hyojin believed had no effect at all.

But it also meant the beast was still here, still willing to kill him, maybe with even more rage than before.

“But I can’t just abandon Changyoon in the Forest!”

“We’ll go to him! You just have to go to the nest!”

“I can’t! It could kill us!”

“Alright.”

Hyojin’s breath stopped as he realised that Seungjun had stopped running.

That Seungjun was now standing between him and the creature.

Hyojin stopped thinking, stopped worrying and turned around, praying to be fast enough as he heard the Slytherin trying several spells against the death that was coming for him.

He laid his hand on Seungjun's shoulder and tried his best to visualize the place despite the dark they had been in, despite the blurry forest, despite his memory that was lacking from the adrenaline.

They fell loudly onto the ground, the snow slightly cushioning them. But Hyojin failed his landing, tripping on his feet before he had fallen hard and then there was _pain_.

“ _Fuck-_ ”

He couldn’t even check on Seungjun, it hurt way too much to focus on anything at all. At first he thought he had lost his whole leg in the process of Apparating, but he was reassured when he noticed that wasn’t the case— _but fuck_ his ankle was burning and he couldn’t help but to whine in pain.

“Hyo! You did it- Are you alright? What happened?!”

“I don’t _fucking_ know- It hurts-”

When Hyojin started to cry, it wasn’t just because of the shooting pain.

“Why do you have to- always- Stop trying to die for me _you idiot!_ ” he sobbed.

Hyojin was shaking but the cold had nothing to do with it. Images of the last few minutes were replaying in his mind, sometimes with all new pictures of blood, blood, and a cold hand lying in the white world.

“You’re the one telling that when you literally saved me by making it chase after you.”

The hand was here, against his cheek and it was _warm_ , alive, breathing, and Hyojin couldn’t stop the tears anymore. He buried his face into Seungjun’s chest, holding him tight to make sure this wasn’t a dream, and to never let him go again.

“Guys!” Changyoon's voice resonated but Hyojin didn’t flinch, don't let go of his best friend. Seungjun didn’t move either, still protecting Hyojin from reality for a few seconds more.

“We’re here! How are you? Did the bleeding stop?”

“It did, yeah. I’m glad I know some healing spells from all the injuries Quidditch has given me…”

Hyojin’s hold tightened. His own pain was now making it impossible to feel anything further than his right ankle.

“We have to move fast, the Graphorn will be back any minute. I don’t know if I’ll be able to run but-”

“Hyojin can’t move…!”

The silence was defeating. Hopeless. Hyojin was ashamed, he could feel the pity of this cursed place on his shoulders.

A strange sound made him jump in surprise, his nerves still on high alert.

Seungjun let go of him, Hyojin’s mouth automatically opening to complain, to ask him to come back, for his air to fill his lungs again—but he saw it.

Seungjun, by Changyoon’s side.

Changyoon who was coughing blood, the red liquid blooming on the immaculate snow—similar to the asphodel’s beauty growing out of death.

Hyojin didn’t feel empty anymore. He neither felt alone, nor scared for Changyoon’s safety.

His feelings were of a deep green.

The green of jealousy.

꧁꧂ 

Yuto had been walking for what seemed like hours. He had been lucky somehow; maybe it had been the adrenaline or the fear, but he had been able to recall how to cast a spell to spread some light around him, or he would have struggled way more with the moonlight being blocked by the dense vegetation.

He had hoped it would be easy to find them. That he would be able to see the light in the darkness and run towards it, or hear people speak deeper in the trees and follow the familiar voices.

He had been wrong.

Moreover, he had underestimated the Forest in and of itself. Its noises, its shadows, its breath, its stares.

He was scared, and cold.

It felt familiar.

Way too familiar. And not in a pleasant way. It was as if he had been in a similar place, in another life. Maybe in the memories he had lost.

His head had started to hurt ages ago. It was spinning; just a disruptive buzzing, again, always, making its place in Yuto’s mind, confusing his thoughts, his focus.

Why was he even here?

_Friends._

Ah, yes friends. And trust. And the weird feeling that he had since he had woken up this morning.

_Jaeyoung, Minkyun, Changyoon, Hyojin, Seungjun._

Names. Blurry faces.

Was it really important? It had to be or he wouldn’t be in a scary forest at night, shivering from the cold

He had to continue.

_Jaeyoung, Minkyun, Changyoon, Hyojin, Seungjun._

The cold wasn't exterior anymore. It was strange; how he seemed to be the only cold thing around, even with the snow to prove that he was wrong. But maybe the coldness was relative. Maybe he was even colder than the ice, than the most freezing tempest.

But then, why was he so uncomfortable? He should have felt at home; in a kingdom of white and shivers. But it was almost the opposite, that unknown world chasing him away, trying to make him understand that he had nothing to do here.

But he knew he couldn’t just stop, that he had to ignore the murmurs of the flow.

_Jaeyoung, Changyoon, Hyojin, Seungjun._

It was painful. Not only his headache, but something else, something that he couldn’t put into words. His weakness was frustrating; how slowly he was walking, the few meters he was making each minute, and his fear of the stares that were waiting for him to fall so they could finally devour him alive.

He had to continue, or it would mean he had died. Not only physically, but giving up would be a goodbye to the last piece of memory he was hanging onto, and that precious part of him was the engine of his muscles. The moment he forgot everything would be his last breath.

Yuto was forgetting.

Yuto was dying.

Alone, in the middle of a forest, with no one to care or cry for him. With none of his... _friends?_

“Yuto!”

The moment he turned back, the light had been too strong and he hadn’t been able to see the face of the one who knew his name. Strong arms wrapped around his body and the sudden warmth almost made him cry.

“ _God_ … I was so scared, you scared me so much…”

Yuto knew this voice. He knew it. He knew it.

“Jaeyoung…”

The tall boy loosened his embrace for a few seconds, just the time he needed to check Yuto to be sure he wasn’t injured. Yuto could see his sharp features, his nose reddish from the cold, his black hair tousled and falling in front of his eyes.

Yuto held onto him tightly, his fear slowly leaving his heart to let place to a bitter emotion, to that little murmur that had been following him saying that he had been lucky, and that the next time no one would come to save his life.

“Wait, take this.”

Jaeyoung wrapped a much too large scarf around Yuto’s head which made the Ravenclaw smile at the attention.

“Thank you.”

“You should thank Minkyun for that, not me. He’s the one who gave it to me before… disappearing.”

Jaeyoung’s face became dark and filled with worry in an instant. But Yuto’s head started spinning again and he almost fell, if not for his friend’s hand to catch him in anticipation.

_Who?_

“Hey buddy, are you okay? You don’t seem okay at all. Maybe we should head back-”

“No…! I have to… continue…”

Pain, pain and murmurs, and everything was spinning, slowly, way too slowly as if the world was mocking him in a last dance.

“Alright, but only because I’m worried for the others. Can you walk?”

Yuto nodded, not even sure what the question had been as the words had been wiped away by the stream the moment they were pronounced.

The River was erasing his existence.

What?

He forgot again.

Again.

Again.

“Yuto? Look at me, hey focus.”

The hands around his cheeks were warm and the face was worried and he was trembling in anxiety, trembling in sickness, trembling without being able to control his own body.

“You’re so cold… Give me your hand, please.”

Yuto obeyed, and the heat almost hurt him. His body hated it, or was it his body?

“Let’s walk, it will warm you up.”

So Yuto did, he followed the warmth, the caring hand that was making it easier somehow, easier to move, easier to think, easier to deal with it.

Black.

He fell.

He screamed.

Something was _attacking_ him, something coming from the inside but still being _exterior_ , and Yuto was feeling it, the everlasting burning, that had been here since the beginning and would be the last thing left. A parasite, feeding from his life, his memories, everything.

He was _drowning_.

The insufferable pain wasn’t even what scared him the most, what he had his focus on. He had to defend himself, but he couldn’t, he was a simple spectator of his own slow demise, and that was the _worst_ feeling. Not only frustration, but mainly because of unfulfillment.

He.

Had.

To.

_Continue._

“Yuto! Yuto please tell me something—anything! Hey, you’re gonna be okay, I promise so please-”

“Jae…Young…”

“Yuto! Can I do something to help you?”

He _crushed_ the hand he was holding onto.

And he breathed. A long, painful but deep breath, the air making his whole body shake in pain—or in relief.

Despite his blurry vision, he saw the red snow. His nausea was still strong, his body was still weak, but he was alive.

He _remembered_.

“Jaeyoung,” he said again, a wasted prayer in front of the unavoidable truth.

“Yes, yes that’s me, I’m here.”

He could feel the boy hugging him again and Yuto wanted to stay like that forever. It was easy, he didn’t have to worry about what was going to happen, it was like he was in a new world, a comfortable little bubble where he was sure he wasn’t going to forget.

Until the next time.

“I’m… alright. I think,” he finally dared to pronounce, the world starting to feel less blurry, more real, his senses slowly coming back.

"But I don't think so," sighed Jaeyoung, "What should we do?"

"Please…"

"Continue? I'm not sure…"

Yuto knew that Jaeyoung was right, that he had all the reasons to want to head back, to leave this cursed place as soon as possible, but Yuto couldn't.

His memories were here, in potential danger. He had to help them at all costs, or he would be the one suffering.

"Get on my back," the Slytherin offered as he turned around.

Yuto hesitated, knowing that if Jaeyoung wanted he could easily bring him back to the castle once he was on his back.

"Yuto? Faster you climb, the faster we will find them."

Yuto finally agreed, putting his trust in his friend and feeling a bit ashamed for his hesitation.

"Is it comfortable? You’ll have to carry the light, can you do that? Sorry, no nap for you yet."

"Don't worry," he replied, pointing his wand above Jaeyoung's head.

"Thank you," said the other as he started to walk.

"Why do you thank me?" asked a confused Yuto.

"Because I'm really worried for the others, and I prefer to keep going too. So I'm thanking your will, your courage. Not everyone would put their friendship before their own safety."

Yuto didn't answer. He didn't want to explain to Jaeyoung, didn't want to disappoint him by telling him that he was wrong. Of course Yuto was being selfish. He had to continue for his own wellbeing.

"You didn't see Minkyun, right? He was in his cat form. He disappeared without any word, but I'm pretty sure he went in this direction."

Yuto changed the hand that was holding the wand to try to stop his shaking.

"I didn't see anyone. I heard noises, but that's it."

"Noises? What kind of noises?"

"At first, it was like the wind in the leaves of a tree. But then I understood it was murmurs and that they were saying things. I wasn't able to know what, though. And after the murmurs the flow came too—it’s mean. I think it wants to kill me. I ignored it."

"There is no river in the Forest, Yuto," Jaeyoung murmured after pause.

"I heard it," he insisted.

"Do you still hear it?"

"I do, it follows me. I told you, I am its target."

"What can I do? To protect you."

"Stay with me, please…" Yuto whispered as he held tighter onto the tall boy.

When he looked behind them, he saw it. The Monsters. Looking straight at him. Waiting for his loneliness to dive on their common prey.

"I will never leave you then, you don't have to worry."

Yuto's worries did fade at some point. He wasn't really scared anymore, he felt at ease against Jaeyoung’s warmth. His thoughts were less about his own safety and more about the ones he had to recall, the missing pieces of his life that he had to get back.

꧁꧂ 

“Hyung,” Minkyun said. “Hyung.”

Jaeyoung paused in his tracks, hand still pulling the bedroom door open as he whipped his head back to look at Minkyun. There was something of a wild panic in his eyes—one that mirrored the feeling in Minkyun’s chest.

“Just… Take this. For Yuto. Please.” He held out his thickest scarf, his heart beating against his ribcage.

Jaeyoung took a deep breath. “Okay.”

They left the common room together, checking that their path was clear before hurrying to make it out of the castle’s giant front doors. Neither of them spoke as they made their way down the snow-covered landscape to the Forest.

Jaeyoung broke into a run, clearly unable to handle the fear that was clawing its way through both of their minds. Minkyun shifted, faster on four legs than two, and rushed ahead to catch a scent of their youngest.

“He’s not very far in yet!” He shouted as he shifted back, tripping over a tree root in the process. “ _Shit!_ ” He caught himself on his hands, palms slamming through the snow and hitting the rough soil beneath. If Jaeyoung had heard him, he made no clear sign as he pulled Minkyun to his feet and continued to run.

 _Jaeyoung please forgive me_ , he thought. Turning back into a cat, he darted into a different direction, desperate to find a hint of the others. Of Changyoon.

His ears pricked as he heard shouting deeper within the trees.

Scenery blurred past him in shades of white and grey. There was no telling how far he had gone, just that his breath had grown ragged as he tripped over shrubs and stones.

He stumbled across an empty nest and three friends—Hyojin was _crying,_ Seungjun was holding Changyoon’s shoulder and Changyoon—Changyoon was bent over, coughing blood onto the snow.

Minkyun shifted foolishly mid-leap but he didn’t have the time to think clearly. He landed on the ground with a definite _thud_ and dragged himself to his feet, ignoring the pain spreading through his shoulder.

“ _Changyoon!_ ” he shrieked, and the despair in his voice caught in his throat like sticky honey.

“Changyoon, Changyoon,” he chanted over and over, scrambling to his side. “Oh my god.”

His best friend’s face was cold between Minkyun’s trembling hands as he wiped the blood off of his lips. “Yoon, oh, please, are you okay? What did you do?” He swallowed a panicked sob. “Why the _fuck_ are you in a Graphorn’s _nest?!_ ”

Changyoon lifted his eyes to meet Minkyun’s. “I’m alright,” he wheezed. “I just… got bumped… a little.”

“He pushed me out of the way,” Seungjun mumbled. “I missed the spell and he pushed me out of the way.”

“Oh, you idiot. Oh my god. Do you know how strong a Graphorn is?”

Changyoon chuckled. “I didn’t really have time to think about that, no.”

“ _Fuck_ ,” Minkyun breathed. “You have- we have to get out of here, Yuto and Jaeyoung are somewhere. I left Jaeyoung to find you, oh god-”

“They’re _here?_ ” Hyojin hissed. “I should have known. I told you to stay!”

Minkyun opened his mouth to reply when a definite roar cut him off, coming from several meters away.

“You guys- you need to go-”

“Hyojin’s ankle is sprained!”

“Then help him! I’ll distract the Graphorn, just _please_ , run, get out of the way.”

“Minkyun-” Changyoon protested.

“GO!”

The others clumsily got to their feet, stumbling as they hefted Hyojin onto their shoulders. As soon as they were out of sight, Minkyun whipped around and tore off into the brush, trying to find his predator.

The Graphorn was _very_ unhappy. It was small for its kind, barely grown, and in quite a lot of pain. From what he could tell, the others had removed one of its two golden horns, and Minkyun sighed in defeat. He might not be able to stop its frightened rampage, but he could distract it long enough for the others to get out of range. As he crept closer, he realized with horror that one of its eyes had been destroyed.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. It bellowed out in pain once again, but it hadn’t noticed him.

Erring on the side of caution, he shifted back into a cat. Slowly, he padded towards the Graphorn, his ears flat as he stood before it. The creature regarded him with its good eye and did nothing.

He chirped and moved forward to rub his cheek gently against its scaly leg. Again, the Graphorn remained still. Carefully he walked until he was a few feet away, checking behind him. It watched him warily, still unsure. Minkyun made a noise of encouragement and continued to walk. This time was successful. It stood and followed him.

If the others were out of the way, he could lead it to its nest and it would stay there. He mourned the unnecessary loss of its eye, but the others had been scared and probably hadn’t known what to do. If the Graphorn was left alone, it would be fine and he would be able to escape.

Minkyun scented the air as they grew nearer to the nest. Books and mint were faint, which meant his friends had moved safely out of the Graphorn’s range. Patiently he sat and waited for the creature to catch up to him. Its vision was poor, and its sense of smell worse. Minkyun let out a friendly yowl and heard it crash closer towards him. As it arrived, he nudged it gently down into the branches of the nest it had built. The Graphorn grunted pleasantly, and settled into the leaves.

Minkyun stayed there for longer than necessary, watching the creature with a heavy heart. It would probably be disabled for the rest of its life, and he wished he could help it. He had done his best.

He turned and followed his nose, _his heart_ , to the others.

The scene he found, from a distance, could have been considered quite pretty.

They stood together at the edge of the Forest, talking in low murmurs. Jaeyoung and Yuto were closest to the line of trees, holding hands as Yuto leaned gently against the elder. Changyoon and Hyojin were switching scarves and robes, pulling their house colors tightly against their cold bodies. Seungjun, once Hyojin had finished, put his arm around the other’s waist. The snow had started to fall again, covering their tracks.

It was ruined by the smell of Changyoon’s blood. By Hyojin’s weak limping as he used Seungjun for support. The violent trembling of Yuto’s small body. The pitch of Jaeyoung’s frightened voice.

He padded closer until Yuto turned, seemingly the only one who had noticed him.

Minkyun stopped in his tracks.

The third-year’s eyes held the faraway look they had had that morning. Empty, without a flash of recognition in them.

Yuto pulled away from Jaeyoung’s side and came to crouch in front of him.

“Hey kitty.”

Minkyun let out a small noise and began to purr as Yuto pet him, which made the younger giggle. He rubbed his cheek on Yuto’s legs and circled around him, pausing to brush against the younger every few steps. His size made him stronger than Yuto anticipated, and the boy laughed and stumbled a little as Minkyun knocked into him.

“Yuto!” came a voice. It was Hyojin. Minkyun made eye contact with the Gryffindor before he turned and hid in the shadows.

Stepping out fully human again, he went to Changyoon’s side. Yuto regarded him with a polite curiosity, but did not greet him. Changyoon sighed and put his head against Minkyun’s shoulder.

The trip back to the castle was a blur. Minkyun felt as empty as Yuto’s eyes had been, and the others seemed to understand that he didn’t have the energy to be cheerful. Changyoon walked by his side in a similar silence. The others let them be.

They really were in a sorry state as the light of the common room washed over them. It was a feat just to have made it up the stairs and into the bedroom in one piece.

Seungjun had carried Hyojin most of the way into the castle on his back. The Gryffindor’s ankle was tender and swollen, and he made little noises of hurt whenever it was slightly moved. He could barely stand on it.

“Jin,” the Slytherin panted as he set the older down on Minkyun’s bed. “Isn’t there a spell to fix this?”

Hyojin’s eyelashes fluttered with the effort to open them. As he squinted around his pain he considered the question.

“Jun… How do you not remember these things?”

Seungjun opened his mouth to protest, but Hyojin lifted his hand as if to stop him and shifted to sit upright.

“ _Episkey_.”

Minkyun watched in fascination as the swelling in Hyojin’s ankle began to go down. The elder hissed as he rolled his foot in a circle, and eventually the pain seemed to have vanished. Hyojin sat up again and smiled at Seungjun as if to prove a point, and the other rolled his eyes.

“Does that work on internal bruises?”

Everyone’s gaze turned to Changyoon, who held his arm around his torso loosely.

“Let me see.”

Hyojin followed Minkyun and Changyoon to the dormitory bathrooms in silence. The air between them was heavy, and Minkyun could feel the presence of exhaustion in their bodies as if it had been another person in the room.

He was pulled from his thoughts by Changyoon removing his jumper and unbuttoning his shirt, letting out a little cry with the effort of moving his arms. A deep, red and purple color bloomed angrily across his ribs and Minkyun sucked in a breath at the sight of it.

“It hurts to breathe,” Changyoon admitted and Minkyun was at his side in an instant.

“You idiot,” he mumbled, running his hand delicately along the bruises. Changyoon made a noise of pain and grit his teeth. Minkyun’s fingers caught on the dips of his frame, yet something felt wrong.

“Hyojin, I think he has broken ribs.”

The elder sighed and stepped forward, examining Changyoon with narrowed eyes.

“This will hurt, and I’m not even sure if it’ll work, I’m so sorry.” He took a deep breath and pointed his wand at Changyoon’s chest.

“ _Brackium Emendo_.”

There was a sickening _crack_ and Changyoon let out a yell. His eyes squeezed shut and he gripped onto Minkyun’s arm with a force that could probably leave marks in his skin. With another slight _pop_ and a grunt, his ribs were repaired. He opened his eyes and blinked a few times.

“I can breathe.” There was relief in his voice.

“It will probably feel better tomorrow morning. We all need to rest,” Hyojin said. Changyoon nodded and picked up his clothes, smiling awkwardly at the Gryffindor as he left the bathroom.

Minkyun went to follow him, but Hyojin caught his arm.

“How long have you been an Animagus?” he asked quietly.

Minkyun stopped breathing.

“You know?”

“I saw you in the Forest.”

Minkyun sighed and turned to face him. “Since the start of third year.”

Hyojin’s eyes widened a little comically as he looked at Minkyun up and down incredulously. “ _Your third year?_ ”

Minkyun laughed nervously. “Yeah? Don’t ask me how I managed to do it, I have no idea.”

To his disbelief, Hyojin looked like he was _impressed_. The Gryffindor nodded to himself as he gave Minkyun another once-over, like he was studying him.

“You’ll have to tell me what it’s like,” he said softly, eyes sparkling.

“You’re not gonna turn me in?”

Hyojin let out a disbelieving laugh. “No? Why would I get you sent to _prison_ because you managed to do something near impossible? Do you know how incredible that is?”

Whatever Minkyun had been expecting, it wasn’t this. A harsh scolding or maybe even getting dumped into Azkaban, certainly not praise. When Changyoon had found out, he had nearly strangled him in a blind fury. Kind of, it was probably more that Minkyun had scared the shit out of him in the dead of night and Changyoon preferred to be woken up in gentler ways.

Hyojin patted his shoulder. “Let’s go back, I’m fucking exhausted.”

There was an unspoken agreement that they would all sleep in the same room. Perhaps it was their weariness finally taking over. Minkyun hadn’t slept in over twenty-four hours. His brain felt like complete mush. If someone had told him two days ago that Seungjun, Hyojin, and Jaeyoung would be sleeping in his bed on Christmas night, he would have thought they were under some kind of confusion spell.

Changyoon was on his own bed doing his best to stay awake, his eyes shooting open every few seconds to squint at the others that were across the room. Seungjun stood awkwardly at the side of Minkyun’s bed, seemingly waiting for permission to get in. Hyojin, however, had no hesitation and clambered straight under the sheets, beckoning the younger to follow. Seungjun rolled his eyes and got in, settling into the center and leaving room for Jaeyoung.

Minkyun’s gaze landed on Yuto, who sat with his feet dangling off of the other side of Changyoon’s bed as Jaeyoung wrapped him in an extra cloak. The younger still held that faraway gaze as he watched Jaeyoung move around the room, solely focused on him. The Slytherin noticed Minkyun’s approach and patted his shoulder gently, offering a weary smile.

“Seungjun’s going to work on the antidote tomorrow,” he said in a hushed voice, turning away from Yuto’s curious stare. “Yuto is still getting worse, I think. When I found him in the Forest he was crying, and he kept talking about a river. And... I’m sorry. He doesn’t remember you. I was talking to him while you guys were in the bathroom. He can tell me everybody’s names but yours.”

The cold sinking feeling in Minkyun’s stomach got worse.

“It’s okay, the antidote will fix him, right?”

“Hopefully.”

Jaeyoung looked absolutely beaten. As much as Hyojin was a leader for the others, Jaeyoung had been their moral support all day. He needed a break as much as the rest of them. Minkyun offered a weak smile and put his arms loosely around the other’s waist in a pathetic hug. Jaeyoung stiffened for a second in surprise before pulling Minkyun closer, tightening his hold.

“It’ll be okay,” Jaeyoung murmured, “he’ll remember everything soon.”

Minkyun hoped he was right.

They pulled away from each other and Jaeyoung went to get ready for bed. Minkyun took a deep breath, steadying himself for what was next.

Yuto looked up at him with the same dazed expression he had worn since they had left the Forest. Minkyun smiled at him, trying his best to look friendly and not like he was about to break into a million pieces.

“Hi, Yuto.” No reaction. “I’m Minkyun, Changyoon and Jaeyoung’s friend.”

Yuto watched him somewhat warily. “They keep talking about you.”

Minkyun let out a breathy laugh, “Ah, yes, that’s me. Um… Is it okay if I share the bed with you and Changyoon tonight?”

On a normal day, there would be no hesitation. The three of them had often piled together in one bed after playing games into the early morning when there weren’t classes to attend when they woke up. But now Minkyun was met with a blank face and eyes that reflected his apprehension.

“That’s okay.”

He laughed again, a little relieved. “Okay, do you prefer the middle or the edge?” he asked.

Yuto had always preferred the middle.

“The middle.”

Minkyun nodded, trying to restrain his smile. “Alright. I’ll go put on my pajamas and then I’ll be right back, okay? Do you need anything?”

“No.” Yuto shifted and laid back stiffly into the pillows next to Changyoon, who was already out cold. When Minkyun returned, everyone was asleep. Yuto had joined them, eyes squeezed shut and face scrunched into a frown.

 _Ah_ , Minkyun realized. _He’s having another nightmare._

With his last shred of energy Minkyun returned to his cat form. He leapt lightly onto the bed and flopped down next to Yuto’s side, watching his face closely. He observed as the nightmare seemed to continue, and tears began to leak down the younger’s cheeks. Minkyun meowed quietly, nudging his nose against the other’s jaw until his eyes fluttered open.

Yuto blinked slowly down at him, and something like recognition passed across his face. A spark of hope lit in Minkyun’s heart. He began to purr, snuggling closer as a small hand came to pet at his fur.

“Hey kitty,” Yuto whispered.


	5. PHLEGETHON, n. The River of Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the penultimate chapter!
> 
> this baby has been quite the labor of love, so thank you to everyone who's kept up with us from the start!! <3

_A lonely hand in the immaculate snow._

Hyojin woke up, drenched in sweat and breathing heavily, his thoughts focused on the same image, the same scene his mind had been creating and replaying again and again as a morbid film he wished he could never see. He whimpered in defeat, his hands passing over his tired eyes before he turned slowly to his right. Despite the overall darkness, he could see Seungjun’s slow breathing, his ribcage rising and falling under the covers, his peaceful features relaxed. Extending his hand, Hyojin lightly caressed the other's cheek, the warmth emanating from it almost moving him.

It had just been a nightmare. They were safe.

The Gryffindor pulled himself out of bed, his heart still not at ease, his foggy mind making him look at Seungjun's peaceful sleeping for longer than he intended. When he turned around, he noticed Yuto clutching a big fluffy cat in his sleep. He smiled with bitterness for Minkyun.

Hyojin left the bedroom silently and was glad the Hufflepuff common room was warm. He searched through a few pieces of furniture before finding a tea set, starting to make some chamomile tea. He only noticed his trembling hands as the leaves steeped in hot water, and he bit his lip as his mind replayed the nightmare from time to time.

With his cup of tea ready, he went to settle on the nearest couch and tried to ease himself. He didn't come down here just because of his fear and the insufferable nightmare that was haunting him—he also was becoming paranoid. From the moment they had all gone to sleep, he couldn't stop thinking about the fact that Seungjun could leave, could try doing something on his own, could put himself in danger, and his nightmare made even more sense. It made his heart ache, to not have full confidence in his best friend, but the events that had played out in the Forest had been too much for him.

He quickly erased the few first tears that fell before giving up and sobbing without control; all the feelings he had tried to hide during the past few hours finally left his tired soul. Everything suddenly felt too much; the secret too heavy to support, the task too dangerous to do, the burden of leading the youngers too suffocating. He had been the strong one, _had to be,_ but with no one to rely on for himself, he had been unknowingly slipping down a dangerous path. He couldn’t even imagine how things would turn out, if they would be caught or if they could succeed in healing Yuto by themselves.

And there was the Forest, the blood, the fear, the gaze of the Beast, and his own wound. He had to thank Minkyun for saving them, or else he would have no idea what would have happened. He had to thank Changyoon, too, for saving Seungjun and getting deeply injured because of him. There were so many things Hyojin would do differently, so many scenarios going through his head, choices he should have made, things he should have said. His regrets were taking over his feelings and exteriorizing in the form of tears; his breakdown was as messy as his thoughts had been for the past few hours.

Pausing his sniffling, he heard a noise approaching from the boys’ dorm. Quickly he tried to pull himself together, breathing deeply and erasing his tears. He drank a sip of tea to help calm himself and tried to appear natural. The footsteps came closer and the person that joined him paused, making a drink. A few moments later, he came to sit on the opposite couch to face him.

Hyojin smiled at Jaeyoung, the bigger boy instantly making him relax with his little grin and his big mug in which was either tea or hot chocolate. Hyojin was immediately reminded of the long nights they would occasionally spend together in the Astrology tower, talking about their lives and struggles. Jaeyoung looked kind of cute, dressed in one of Changyoon’s many sets of pajamas that was definitely too short for him. His black hair was tousled from sleep.

“Why aren’t you sleeping?” Hyojin asked, and even though he preferred to be alone, he couldn’t help but be glad to have the Slytherin by his side now that he was there.

“You woke me up,” Jaeyoung replied with a spark of teasing in his dark eyes.

“Sorry.” Hyojin lowered his eyes in embarrassment, but his smile remained.

“And you? I thought you would sleep well after that whole mess.”

“I hoped so too,” the Gryffindor sighed. “It turned out differently, apparently.”

Hyojin slowly sipped on his tea, unsure of if he was ready to share his thoughts about the night’s events. They had been violent, and he didn’t know to what extent Jaeyoung knew of what happened. Hyojin wasn’t sure if he could share something like that when it didn’t only concern himself.

“Something happened in the Forest, right?”

The prefect nodded, looking at the pretty cup between his hands decorated with some flowery paintings blooming every so often on it. The charm was lovely and he wished he knew it to use it on his teacups at home. His mother would love it, too.

“Seungjun told me your injury was because you Apparated. Is that true?”

Hyojin huffed out a quiet laugh. Trust Jaeyoung to pick up on small details.

“Yeah, I had to, or your dumb friend would be dead as we speak.”

“He’s more your friend than mine,” Jaeyoung pointed out with amusement.

“I know,” Hyojin mumbled, keeping his legs close to his chest.

“I’m curious—you’re able to Apparate already. How were you able to learn when the Trace is around?”

Hyojin drained his last drops of tea and set the teacup on the table in between them with a definite _click._

“That’s quite a long story…” he whispered as his mind started catching on the memories.

“It’s okay, we have all night.”

They exchanged a smile and Hyojin couldn’t help but feel a little awkward. He was accustomed to sharing his daily life at Hogwarts with Jaeyoung, but never about his family life. He never really felt the need to anyway, he had Seungjun to perfectly understand him for this.

“For context, my mom is an Auror with Seungjun's mom, and we're neighbors because they've been friends since they were at Hogwarts. So when my mom is on a mission, I go live with Seungjun and his dad, and his mom too, if she isn't on one as well. It's nice, his dad is nice, he works for the Ministry. They've always been nice to me, and it's always been fun to live with them. But you know, since our moms are Aurors... sometimes it's dangerous.”

Hyojin paused, taking a breath.

“Something happened, once. A guy wanted to take revenge on my mom. Because of that, we knew it wasn't perfectly safe for either of us, so our moms asked the Ministry to teach us how to Apparate. They turned it down for Jun, because he never had any problems. But they accepted my mom's request and I was allowed to use magic only to learn how to Apparate. So I did learn it, it was pretty simple. I had one place to go if an emergency happened and I had to take Seungjun with me. I've never had to use it in a real-life situation until now.”

The silence wasn’t uncomfortable, but somehow Hyojin found himself unable to look at Jaeyoung after his long speech. He started to play with his hands, waiting for a reaction, a question or anything that would stop him from being so aware of himself.

“That explains why you’re both always around during the holidays,” the younger hummed.

Hyojin smiled at it, thinking about how his life had always been filled with a young, mischievous friend.

“Yeah, our moms aren’t home often so we prefer staying here. It’s better this way.”

“Even if you always tell me you don’t know what job you want to do, at least you seem to be pretty sure of what you’ll never end up becoming.”

Hyojin giggled and scratched his nose with embarrassment.

“I admire them, I truly do. But… It’s heavy, and dangerous. I don’t want that. You know, I was scared that Seungjun would look up to them and decide to become one too, at some point. I think he doesn’t want to because he’s well aware of the suffering that comes with it. And he discovered Quidditch too, so he has something else he can put his overflowing energy into.”

The two boys shared a knowing smile and Hyojin turned a bit to face his friend more properly.

“What about you? You don’t talk a lot about yourself, and I’ve never heard anything about your family.”

Jaeyoung sighed and Hyojin could tell from his pout that he was hesitating.

“It’s fine, if you don’t want to share it,” he tried to ease him with an understanding smile.

“I just… don’t have a lot to say.”

Hyojin offered him an encouraging nod.

“I live with my grandparents. It’s not that my parents are dead—it’s just that… Let’s say they disappointed me? But yeah, I’m not really a family-lover, you could say.”

Hyojin nodded, trying to process the few vague pieces of information he had just learned.

“Which also explains why you’re here during Christmas. You avoid them.”

Jaeyoung chuckled at this, and he set down his mug on the table.

“That’s a bit… direct, coming from you. But I can’t deny it, yeah.”

“I was always curious about why you're so nice to everyone when you're a Slytherin. Isn't it weird? When Seungjun first introduced you to me and I started to hear about you, I was pretty sure you manipulated people. And now," he huffed out a laugh, "no offense, I'm pretty sure I was right. All your efforts to be liked by everyone in the school... it gives you advantages.”

Jaeyoung had no reaction to Hyojin’s bold observation. He hoped it wasn’t too impolite, or rude, or that he simply had been overthinking about the other’s behaviour. It would certainly make their relationship awkward.

“You’re almost there, but you missed the important part,” Jaeyoung let out, a small grin on his features. Hyojin blinked in surprise.

“Really? What is it?”

“Control,” Jaeyoung said with something special in his eyes. He chuckled a little like he was embarrassed. “I’ve never had control. I was left in the dark my entire childhood with almost no one to guide me, but I can control my life here.”

He shifted to rest his elbows on his knees, threading his fingers together. “Here I get to pick who I speak to, what I learn, who my friends are. How I spend my money, even. Helping people…” he trailed off for a moment, searching for the right words. “To a degree it probably is a little manipulative, if it’s for my advantage. But it can’t be… that bad if no one is hurt by it, I guess.”

Hyojin hummed in understanding. It was logical, in a way. Their world wasn’t manichaean, and it was rare that kindness held pure intentions. That’s why he had been suspicious at first, and it didn’t surprise him that his first instinct had been right. Jaeyoung was still a nice guy, no one else was giving their time to others like he did and that couldn’t be denied.

“You’re helping way too many people for me to judge you. I was always impressed by you, to be honest. You always seem busy but you’re also always agreeing whenever someone asks for your help.”

Jaeyoung laughed, “I teach people spells and run errands for my professors, that’s all.” But then his expression fell like he had realized something. “I abused their trust today.”

Hyojin was ready to answer with something when a noise sounded and startled them both, and he turned toward the boys’ dorm. There, a half-asleep Seungjun stood as he blinked slowly at them, holding his pillow in one arm. He was wearing one of Minkyun’s Hufflepuff pajamas, just a bit too large for him, and with his tousled hair he looked so much younger.

It amused Hyojin at the accidental difference in the Slytherins’ clothes.

“Why are you awake?” Hyojin questioned with a smile he couldn’t hide at the sight of his friend.

Seungjun mumbled something and came closer before wrapping himself against Hyojin on the couch, making the older laugh at the sudden weight and warmth.

“What did you say?” he asked, settling them in a more comfortable position and hugging him close as Seungjun rested his head against his chest.

“I had a nightmare…”

Hyojin pouted after hearing the answer and exchanged a worried glance with Jaeyoung before starting to gently stroke the blond’s hair.

“You want us to go back to sleep?” Hyojin guessed in a murmur.

“Hmm. I don’t think I can fall asleep again without you…”

Hyojin smiled sweetly and tried to move the Slytherin away.

“Alright you big baby, let’s get back to sleep. We all need it.”

He looked at Jaeyoung as he spoke, and the other raised a worried eyebrow. Hyojin smiled to reassure him, fairly sure he would be able to sleep at least a little longer now.

꧁꧂ 

Minkyun woke with a start, his dreams quickly fading from his mind. He checked the room around him and noticed he was the only one awake. He was still in his cat form, small fingers were wound into his fur, and he realized that Yuto was embracing him like a soft toy. The younger's breathing was calm and even, and Minkyun could sense that he was deeply asleep.

Carefully he managed to escape from his grasp and fall ungracefully out of the bed. From his new spot on the floor, he could see that a few presents had appeared overnight at its foot. He hadn't had the time to think about Christmas at all during the previous day, but now he wondered if they had gotten them late because they had been awake for the entirety of that night, or if it was due to something else. He shook his head to clear his mind and padded to the bathroom, where he switched form and took some time for himself to get ready. He let his body enjoy the warmth of the shower as if it could purify him of the stress and anxiety that still lingered from the night before.

Cleaned and dried, he wandered back into the bedroom and took a moment to appreciate the peace emanating from his friends. It was nice, to see them in harmony while they slept, though he knew it couldn't last forever. Quietly he slipped back towards the beds, wondering if he had time to sleep more.

"Minkyun...?"

The fourth-year turned his head and was met with big eyes watching him with a mix of exhaustion and curiosity.

"What time is it?" Seungjun asked in a small voice just before yawning.

"A bit past 8:30. Are you planning to sleep more?" he whispered.

Seungjun scratched his cheek with a pout and shook his head. Minkyun watched as he attempted to extract himself from the bed, pulling himself from Hyojin's arms as he tried not to wake either him or Jaeyoung. Seungjun nearly fell on his face, had Minkyun not caught his arm to stabilize him.

"Thank you..." the older boy sighed as Minkyun tried not to laugh at him.

"You're clumsier than I thought," he stated, and Seungjun giggled at the words.

Minkyun turned and headed to the common room, where it would be easier for both of them to talk without waking the others. Seungjun trailed behind him, muttering to himself about a dream. Minkyun's stomach grumbled as he entered the bright room.

"Are you hungry?"

"Yeah, but I don't want to go to the Great Hall," the Slytherin childishly complained, letting his body fall onto the nearest couch.

"All of you seem to like our common room quite a lot," Minkyun noticed as he opened different cupboards.

"It's nice! It's warm in here, and pretty," Seungjun confirmed.

His head suddenly appeared over the back of the couch and he was looking at Minkyun curiously.

"What are you doing?"

"Checking if we have any food left for breakfast. I don't think you'll be the only one who doesn't want to go to the Great Hall today, and since our common room is near the Kitchens, we always have some food... But it seems like everyone ate everything before the holidays."

Minkyun turned around and looked at Seungjun for a few seconds before the other pointed at himself, blinking in surprise.

"You want _me_ to come with _you?"_

Minkyun nodded with a big smile, happy that the Quidditch player had been able to read his mind.

"Isn't that... forbidden?"

"I told you that we do it all the time- Wait. _You're_ the one questioning if we should do something forbidden?" Minkyun's laugh echoed in the common room and Seungjun seemed embarrassed.

"My goal isn't to break _every_ rule at Hogwarts..." he mumbled in defense.

"Are you coming or not," Minkyun grinned.

"I am!" The blond leapt over the back of the couch, stumbling for the second time that morning and feigning that nothing had happened. Minkyun laughed at him and he stuck out his tongue.

"What do we do?"

"Just follow me," Minkyun winked and didn't pause to wait for Seungjun to join him as he left the common room.

"Did you leave a note or something? Hyojin will kill us if he wakes up and we're gone," Seungjun worried as they walked down the corridor connecting the Entrance Hall to the common room and the Kitchens.

"Don't worry, it won't take that long."

Minkyun stopped in front of a large painting of a silver fruit bowl, and he reached out to brush his fingers against the pear like he was tickling it. The fruit giggled at the touch and a large, green door handle appeared.

"Wow," Seungjun admired, and Minkyun grinned.

When he opened the door, he was immediately greeted by the sweet smells of pies, breads, and other treats that were surely already waiting to be served to the students in the Great Hall.

"Good morning!" Minkyun called as he entered, and the tiny house elves who were working so diligently on the day's meals greeted him back, making the Hufflepuff smile.

"Park Minkyun! It has been a while!" an elf welcomed, beckoning them closer. "Oh, who's this with you?"

"Seungjun, a friend," Minkyun smiled. "I was hoping you would have some food for us, we want to have breakfast in the common room."

"How many people?"

"Six."

The elf snapped his fingers and four large baskets of assorted meals appeared in front of them.

"That is dope!" Seungjun praised excitedly, kneeling to see what was in them.

"Thank you," Minkyun nodded, and bent down to pick one up. But when he tried to lift it, a sudden pain flashed in his shoulder and he hissed, hastily dropping the basket as he tried not to spill its contents and waste them.

"Are you alright? Seungjun worried, placing a hand on Minkyun's back.

"Yeah... It's nothing. I'm just dumb, we can use our magic for this."

Ignoring the pain that still hadn't gone away, he pulled out his wand and cast _Wingardium Leviosa_ on the baskets, causing them to levitate in front of them.

"Let's just go," the Hufflepuff hurried, not wanting Seungjun's attention to remain on his injury.

They crossed the corridor a second time and Minkyun tapped the rhythm onto the barrel before they returned to the warmth of the common room yet again. He arranged the baskets onto a table between two couches that would welcome the totality of their group of friends later. As he had predicted, no one else was awake yet, so he began to organize their brunch. Seungjun hummed to get his attention, and when he turned, the Slytherin pushed him gently to force him to sit on the couch behind him.

"What's wrong?" Minkyun asked, blinking in confusion.

"It's your arm, right?" Seungjun said seriously, expression leaving no room for escape. His thin lips were pressed tightly together and his eyebrows met in a worried frown.

"...My shoulder," Minkyun finally admitted.

"Let me see," Seungjun said, bending down and unbuttoning the other's pajamas.

Minkyun suddenly felt extremely aware of his surroundings and how _exposed_ they were, feeling his ears burn at Seungjun's proximity and his careful gestures.

"I- I can do it-" he spluttered, moving to cover his collarbones with his hand. Seungjun moved back slightly, one knee on the couch as he used the other leg to stand above Minkyun.

He hadn't unbuttoned everything, just enough so that he could pull Minkyun's pajamas to let his bare shoulder show. Minkyun didn't know why, but the detail touched him for some reason. He already knew Seungjun was caring, but this had reinforced his impression.

"Agh," Seungjun winced, "no wonder it hurts. It looks ugly." He ran a delicate thumb across Minkyun's skin as he looked at it. "How did you do that? Why didn't you say anything to Hyojin? It must have hurt like hell."

Minkyun finally dared to look at his injury. He didn't really remember when it had happened, his memories muddled with the rush of adrenaline he had felt the night prior, but it had surely happened when he was in his human form. His shoulder had taken on a weird shade of colors: blues, purples, and reds mixing together painfully.

"I don't know, I don't remember. It didn't hurt until earlier, I think I reawakened the pain by trying to lift the bucket."

Seungjun sighed and scrunched his nose.

"I think... it's safer to wait for the others. I don't want to try fixing it by myself, because I could make it worse."

"I trust you, though."

"I'm not that good at Charms," Seungjun countered. "I'm only good at Potions, but the only thing that came into my mind by seeing your injury was _Ah, I could try a Wiggenweld Potion."_

Minkyun laughed at the other's antics, appreciating his thoughtfulness. But something seemed to have crossed Seungjun's mind, as his expression changed completely.

"Also... Minkyun..." his face darkened, "I'm sorry... And thank you. For saving us."

Minkyun smiled. "You would have done the same, don't worry."

"Why... aren't you mad at me?"

Minkyun lost his smile, realizing what Seungjun was trying to say.

"Should I be?"

"I poisoned Yuto, he even forgot you... and I almost got your best friend killed. So, I guess...?"

"I'm not mad at you. You didn't intend any of the things that happened, and... I think you are in pain as much as I am, or even more. You're easy to read, Hyung. You don't need me to hate you, I think we can all see how much you're blaming yourself."

Seungjun opened his mouth to reply when a sudden "Wow wow wow!" made both of them jump in surprise. From the other side of the room, Changyoon was watching them with a sly grin, and Minkyun could feel himself burn with a blush as he remembered the odd position they had been found in. His hands jumped to his pajamas, buttoning them up quickly as Seungjun hastily pushed himself to his feet, tripping and stumbling once again.

"No, it's okay! Just- Continue whatever you were doing guys!" Changyoon said dramatically, covering his eyes with one hand and waving his second in the air as he turned to go back to the bedrooms.

"Yoon!" Minkyun complained, knowing he must be entirely red at this point.

"What are you saying?" Seungjun accused, looking at Minkyun again before they burst into laughter.

"You are both fools," Changyoon said over their noise as he came to join them on the couches.

"Stop imagining things," Seungjun returned with a snort.

"I'm not imagining anything, since I saw it with my own eyes," Changyoon taunted as he inspected the baskets. His smile grew wider as he realized what they contained.

Seungjun kicked at him from the sofa and Changyoon raised his hand to hit back, Minkyun having to stop them before they chased each other around the dorm.

"Are you the only one awake?"

"Yeah," Changyoon answered, coming around the table to fall beside Minkyun on the sofa.

"I'm glad Yuto is sleeping a lot," Minkyun smiled and Changyoon nodded in agreement.

"Changyoon, hmm... _-hyung,"_ Seungjun started from his other side, looking more at Minkyun than who he was talking to, "Do you know how to-"

"Oh _please,"_ Changyoon cringed, "Please don't call me that. You don't call Hyojin _hyung,_ you've never called me that, so _please,_ don't start now. Changyoon is more than fine."

Seungjun nodded, listening intently before his face illuminated. Minkyun smiled; he seemed glad that Changyoon felt so comfortable.

"Yeah, so, hmm. Are you good at healing charms?"

Minkyun's gaze met Seungjun's and the latter immediately looked back at Changyoon, avoiding whatever Minkyun was trying to silently say to him.

"I'm good at pretty much everything. But Hyojin has always been better than me at Charms. Why?"

"Nothing!" Minkyun interrupted, making sure Seungjun understood he didn't want Changyoon to know.

"You both are suspicious..." Changyoon scowled.

"Minkyun is..." Seungjun dodged Minkyun's eyes, "injured."

_"What?!"_

Minkyun whined and let his back fall against the couch, head resting on top of it. He ignored the pain that had flared from the shock of the impact, too upset to bother acknowledging it out loud.

"Where? What happened?" Changyoon panicked, shifting towards Minkyun and grabbing at his shirt like he'd take it off himself. Minkyun slapped at his hands, which only succeeded in getting Changyoon to start _actually_ pulling at its hem, trying to get a look.

"His shoulder," Seungjun answered. "It's from yesterday. I didn't know either, until a few minutes ago-"

"Are you stupid?!" Changyoon wailed. "Why didn't you say anything, idiot!"

Minkyun turned his head to look at his best friend, scowling. "This is the exact reason why I didn't want to tell you."

"What do you mean _didn't want to?"_

"You're panicking for nothing! It only hurts if I hit it, which, _ow,"_ he grabbed his friend's wrist to pull him away from grabbing at his shoulder. "Stop."

"Am I supposed to think- I don't know- _Oh, my best friend is severely injured, but 'it's nothing,' he'll be fine?!_ Seriously?"

Minkyun sighed in annoyance and turned away.

"Kyun, at least show it to me, please."

The concern in his best friend's voice made Minkyun's heart shatter. He didn't want to put more stress onto the shoulders of the other, and now that Seungjun had exposed him, he couldn't do anything about it.

He unbuttoned his shirt again and Changyoon kneeled over him to look at his left shoulder better.

"That's ugly," he stated, and Minkyun shared a glance with Seungjun.

"We were waiting for you or Hyojin to heal it," Seungjun explained.

Changyoon nodded and brought up a hand to tousle his already messy hair. "I don't think an _Episkey_ will work... I think it's safer to wait for Hyojin."

"Me? For what?" a pretty voice asked from the other side of the room.

The three boys turned to see Hyojin walking towards them, wearing Changyoon's Hufflepuff pajamas but no glasses. Behind him were Jaeyoung and Yuto, holding hands. Minkyun's smile was more bitter than he would have liked it to be.

"Ouch, that must hurt," the prefect observed upon seeing the injury.

"Can you fix it?" Seungjun asked, moving away to let his best friend replace him.

"Sure, I fixed broken ribs yesterday, so I won't be stopped by such a simple injury."

Hyojin took out his wand and casted a spell Minkyun failed to identify. The ugly colours slowly disappeared as Minkyun carefully moved his shoulder in a circle, a smile appearing on his face as the pain ebbed away.

"Thank you, Hyung! It's not hurting anymore."

"You're welcome," Hyojin smiled, and turned to Changyoon. "Your turn. Show me your ribs."

Changyoon stayed silent for a few seconds, everyone's gazes laying heavily on him as they waited for him to do something.

"That's- I swear I'm fine. It's not hurting anymore!"

Hyojin crossed his arms, eyebrows quirked as he regarded his classmate in silence. Everyone understood there was no discussion to be had.

"Why, are you shy?" Seungjun cooed, to which he was answered with a dry, "Shut up."

Changyoon gave in, lifting his top nervously until the bruises blossoming across his ribs could be seen. Minkyun sucked in a breath; it looked worse than his shoulder had.

"It sure looks better," Hyojin noted with a smile. Without any warning, the red-haired boy jabbed at Changyoon's tummy, eliciting a shout of pain from the other.

"What are you doing?!" he complained, openly offended as he dropped the hem of his shirt and wrapped his arms around his torso to prevent any other attack.

"Better, but still not perfect. Do you want me to try healing it?"

"No, it's fine. It'll be gone quickly," Changyoon mumbled, and Hyojin nodded.

"Alright, but if it hurts, ask me. Or Seungjun, he could make you a potion."

Changyoon only hummed in response. They had all turned their attention towards the food as Hyojin's stomach audibly growled.

Minkyun took the time to observe all of their behaviours, how they naturally interacted with each other; Seungjun explaining to Hyojin how amazing the Kitchens were, and Hyojin mocking him for his innocence as he had already seen it; Jaeyoung chatting with Yuto while he organized the food across the table with Changyoon's help. But quickly the original groups shattered: Seungjun moving to sit on Minkyun's left as Changyoon sat on his right, both exchanging laughter at a dumb joke Seungjun had made and at which Changyoon refused to see the fun in; Hyojin asking about Yuto's food preferences before sitting down between him and Jaeyoung on the couch across from them.

It wasn't _odd._

It was if things had fallen into their right place.

꧁꧂ 

Seungjun found that he hadn’t slept very well at all. From the looks of it, no one else had, either.

(Certainly not because he had been sharing a bed— _that_ he was used to.)

The atmosphere of the room was the most cheerful it had been since the party. He figured any sleep at all and a bite to eat had upped their morale. But he could see it in the way Jaeyoung sagged into the couch. How Hyojin’s eyes flickered towards him every so often, mid-conversation, like he was checking that he was still there. How Yuto gazed absently up at the windows but became reanimated when addressed by someone else. The way Minkyun’s laughter felt just a little out of place.

Seungjun couldn’t see Changyoon from where he lazed on the other side of his roommate, but occasionally Minkyun would shift to accommodate the other’s weight. The pair had been pressed together since they had settled in to eat, likely a side effect of the previous day’s separation.

“Kyun,” Seungjun heard Changyoon murmur beneath the chatter coming from the other sofa. The younger hummed but made no other movement to show that he was listening.

Changyoon paused for a second as the conversation lulled, waiting until Jaeyoung turned and asked Hyojin a question before he spoke again.

“Do you think Yuto will get worse?”

Seungjun bit his tongue in surprise as he chewed his food, the shock of pain adding to his alarm. The resignation in the elder’s voice, like he truly expected it to happen, reminded him of the pressing importance of what he was supposed to do. He stuffed another bite of food into his mouth stiffly, pretending he couldn’t hear them.

Minkyun turned away from Seungjun slightly and leaned to speak into Changyoon’s hair. Seungjun glanced at them for a second as Minkyun rested his cheek on Changyoon’s head, but looked away before he drew attention to them and pretended he was listening to Hyojin.

“It’ll be alright, Seungjun-hyung has all the ingredients now. He just has to make the antidote and then everything will go back to normal,” Minkyun mumbled.

If Changyoon said anything in response, he didn’t hear it. Seungjun shot to his feet, garnering worried looks from the others as he marched back up to the bedrooms in silence. He needed to write _something_ down. He was burning with the desire to set things right.

“Seungjun?” Hyojin called after him. He didn’t bother to reply.

He returned to the common room and collapsed onto the couch next to Minkyun with his notebook in hand. Cracking his knuckles, he began to think.

It took him a moment to realise that the room was still silent, surprise and confusion written on each of his friends’ faces.

He laughed. “I’ve got to make the antidote.”

Picking up his quill, he got to work.

A few minutes of frustrated thinking passed. The others had melted back into conversation, not really paying attention to his sporadic scribbling and muttering.

“Jaeyoung,” he sang loudly, cutting Changyoon off mid-sentence, who sent him a glare, "Jaeyoung who I love dearly with my entire heart-"

"What do you need, Seungjun."

Seungjun grinned. "Could you, perhaps, go get me every ingredient we've collected _please."_

"Why don't you just go upstairs?" Hyojin huffed before Jaeyoung could answer.

"Because you're all down here. Plus I like the background noise."

Jaeyoung got to his feet silently, an amused look in his eyes as he disappeared up the stairs to the dormitory. He returned a few minutes later with his arms full of the various satchels Seungjun had filled with stolen ingredients in the last day, along with the personal collection he had brought from his own dorm.

"What the fuck, how much did you take?" Changyoon asked, eyes narrowed.

"It's fine, they won't notice it’s gone."

He helped Jaeyoung set everything up on one of the nearby tables as the others hovered around them, watching with uncertainty.

"How are you supposed to make an antidote out of all of this?" Minkyun asked curiously.

Seungjun frowned as he looked at his notes. "With lots of trial and error."

The alcohol potion was—as his parents put it—easy to make, easy to drink. He had never been allowed to see _exactly_ what they did, which was probably what got him into this mess in the first place. But he had studied the final drink, watched his parents' movements closely to discern the charms they used, and took notes.

Honeywater, daisy roots, and lavender. That was all that was added (plus a solution of actual alcohol, of course), and any drink would become much more welcome at parties. Whatever his parents had charmed it with certainly made the effects of euphoria last longer. He flipped through his notes until he reached what he was looking for, frowning even more at the page.

Seungjun picked up the phial of the version he had made with Changyoon not twenty-four hours earlier. It had retained its purity, so clear that it made the glass look like it was empty. Carefully, he separated its quantity until he had several equal portions to test on.

What had he brought to the party?

Wracking his brain, he let his eyes drift over the notes he had taken on what Hyojin had told him of the _Lethe._ Lethe river water, mistletoe berries, valerian sprigs. Ah. He really had combined the two recipes. The _Lethe_ even shared ingredients with a common forgetfulness potion, but Seungjun's additions certainly hadn't helped its effects.

It took him several tries and a couple hours to make something that looked somewhat similar to what remained of the potion from the party. He scribbled down the proper numbers before sitting back and letting out a sigh.

"How is it?" Hyojin appeared at his elbow with some food, setting the plate far away from Seungjun's work.

"Tedious," he muttered. "I know how much I used now, but I still need to figure out how to counteract it all."

Hyojin hummed, sitting down beside him. "Can I hear?"

This was something they did often. Before Seungjun used his potions for pranks, he had made them to practice his skills to try and find new methods of solving problems that weren't charms or jinxes. Hyojin used to sit next to him, feeding him the information he knew when Seungjun became stuck, and together they bounced ideas off of each other until a potion was completed. Somewhere at home, there was a notebook filled with notes on what they had created over their many summers together.

Seungjun laid his head on the table and groaned. "I don't _know."_

A light chuckle sounded from somewhere above him as he felt Hyojin card his fingers through his hair. They stayed like that for a minute in silence, listening to the others talk at the other side of the common room about nothing in particular.

"Well?" Hyojin prompted finally.

Seungjun complained under his breath and sat up, pushing his notebook towards his friend.  
Hyojin read his notes with a pensive expression.

“I don’t see why this shouldn’t work. You’re combining these-” he pointed to the portions of common antidotes Seungjun had circled, “-with the counteragents of the _Lethe_ ingredients.”

“Yes.”

“But wouldn’t there be a reaction between these?”

It was well into the late afternoon before they were pulled out of their discussion.

“Guys,” Minkyun called, “can’t you give it a rest for a bit?”

Seungjun pulled his focus away from his notes, eyes feeling a little tired. The others were spread out on the sofas lazily, seemingly having run out of things to do. Changyoon and Jaeyoung were nodding along with Minkyun’s request. Seungjun opened his mouth to complain, silenced only by the look Hyojin shot him. The Gryffindor pulled what he was holding from his hands, yanking him to his feet by the wrist.

“Let’s take a break and double check later, yeah?”

Seungjun sighed and nodded. He didn’t have enough energy to put up a fight right now.

“We should go out,” Changyoon said, examining Seungjun’s table.

“Out?”

“You guys can’t like the common room _that_ much,” he smiled. “Let’s go find somewhere else to be for a while.”

Again Seungjun opened his mouth to complain, but was interrupted by the agreement of the others. If he was honest with himself, he _was_ starting to grow tired of seeing only bright yellow walls and warm wood. He missed the cool atmosphere of his own common room, but maybe not the loneliness that came with it.

He set everything aside and followed Hyojin to the couches.

It took them a while to decide on where to go. Hyojin had tried to advocate for spending time in the library, but Minkyun and Jaeyoung had shared a look, and the idea was rejected. The Great Hall wasn’t an option either; there were too many people that could notice the odd shift in dynamics between Seungjun and Changyoon, or worse, Yuto’s drastic change in demeanor.

They decided on finding somewhere outside.

He watched as Changyoon, Minkyun, and Jaeyoung bickered over whose scarf would be given to Yuto, only to be broken up when Hyojin appeared with the Ravenclaw’s own, wrapping it neatly around his head. Yuto blinked up at him quietly.

Minkyun caught his eye over the bustle of the others and smiled, dimples pressing deep into his cheeks. _Cute,_ Seungjun thought.

They headed out in a tight little group, noisy and full of energy. The snow was crisp beneath their toes, crunching merrily with each of their steps as they made their way out of the castle. Nothing like the cold terror that had blazed through Seungjun’s body last night, leaving behind the ghost of fear even in broad daylight. When he closed his eyes all he could see was Changyoon taking the hit meant for him. Echoes of his friends’ screams rang in his ears. He had thought he was fine, yet that morning he had woken up from a nightmare that had truly shaken him.

Perhaps that was just the effect of the Forest.

They found somewhere to rest where snow wouldn’t soak through their clothes. The sky was grey yet it was still bright, leaving the landscape looking peacefully washed out. The line of trees marking the entrance to the Forest was visible from where they stood. Quietly Seungjun turned so that he couldn’t see it.

He watched Yuto laugh brightly at a joke one of the Hufflepuffs had cracked. Jaeyoung was laughing too, patting a big hand into Changyoon’s back with delight. Everyone was bundled up warmly, and even though Christmas was technically over, it kind of felt like he was spending time with _friends._ Maybe in another world they would have done this on Changyoon’s birthday, out in the cold with large smiles on their faces. They would have stayed in the castle, snuck into the Hufflepuff common room at night and held a party for him. They would have woken up Christmas morning and opened gifts together. Changyoon and Minkyun would have trusted him.

Seungjun couldn’t keep his mind off of the antidote, even with this welcome distraction. His heart was heavy, each beat reminding him that he was _so close._ Why had the others suddenly pulled him away from the finish line when it was right there? Surely they wanted this to end. He could have saved Yuto by now. Things could have gone back to normal. Yuto could have remembered.

Seungjun’s heart pounded against his ribs as he watched them. He loathed himself for ever going to that party, for thinking literally anything could go right for him when he was around Changyoon. Tears pricked at his eyes and he felt selfish.

“Hey.” Warm arms wrapped around his waist, hands grabbing his tightly so that he couldn’t escape.

When he didn’t respond, Hyojin pulled away, coming around to face him. “Jun.”

Seungjun sniffed against the cold, running a hand through his hair absently. “I just want it to be over.”

“It will be soon, you’re doing well.” Hyojin ran a thumb under his eye, wiping away the stray tears that were collecting. “You’re nearly there. Give your mind time to process so you can go back and make it perfectly.”

Seungjun sighed and nodded. He hated crying, especially in front of Hyojin, who was so empathetic he usually started crying with him.

"Come sit with the rest of us," the other urged. Seungjun nodded lamely and let himself be pulled into the group again.

He would finish the antidote tonight.

꧁꧂ 

Changyoon was happy.

Maybe it was the lingering exhaustion getting to him, but the Hufflepuff couldn’t stop the ridiculous warmth in his chest. He had found a group of friends, and even though Yuto had worsened the night before, things were looking up. Seungjun had been monitored as he worked by both Jaeyoung and Hyojin—there was little if any room for error. Things would be fixed soon, and their only problem would be trying to explain the sudden allyship between him and his previous rival.

He looked up to see Hyojin guiding said rival back to their group. Seungjun looked weary as he came to sit beside him.

“Hey,” Changyoon greeted.

“Hey.”

“How is it?”

“The antidote?” Seungjun let out a breath as he turned to watch the others. “I’m almost done. I could have finished by now, probably.”

Hope sparked in Changyoon’s heart. “So when we go back-”

“I just need to make it, yeah.”

He couldn’t help but smile. “Thank you,” he whispered.

Seungjun turned to him looking confused. “For what?”

“I don’t know- ah. For being smart enough to fix this?”

“I’m the one who-”

“Stop, stop, I mean… Without you… I wouldn’t know what to do.” Changyoon met his gaze shyly. Seungjun looked exhausted. He offered him a small smile.

“But-”

 _“Seungjun._ You’ve been working for hours. And… what happened in the Forest-” the other cringed and looked away, “-wasn’t your fault.”

The Slytherin stayed silent, disagreement clearly written on his face, but he let Changyoon speak.

“And I… I’m sorry, too. For doubting you so much. I know how much you care about Yuto.”

“You didn’t really have any other impression of m-” Seungjun let out a shriek as Changyoon grabbed a handful of snow and shoved it down the back of his robes before pushing himself to his feet and dashing away.

 _“CHANGYOON!”_ he yelled over the laughter of their friends. He chased after the Hufflepuff with his own handful of snow, and quickly the others followed suit. Minkyun released several loud screeches as Hyojin and Jaeyoung slapped him with snow, and soon they had broken off into groups and began hurling snowballs at one another until they were soaking through their robes and their hands had gone numb.

They returned to the common room laughing and trembling, rushing to get out of their damp clothes as soon as they could. Some took turns taking showers, but Changyoon had avoided the loud chatter in the bathrooms and found himself sitting in front of the common room fireplace alone.

Seungjun was the first to appear, freshly cleaned and back in his robes, which he had charmed dry. He made his way straight to the table his work had been left on and immediately flipped open his notebook.

“Do we have anything to eat still?” he asked without looking up.

Changyoon glanced at the baskets, already knowing the answer. “Nope.”

“Will you go back to the Kitchens?”

“Minkyun can, if you’re hungry.”

Seungjun hummed and mumbled something to himself. “That’s fine, yeah.”

As curious as Changyoon was about how Seungjun’s work was going, he knew better than to interrupt. They sat in a mutual silence; Seungjun scribbling and sorting out his ingredients, Changyoon watching the flames move in the fireplace, glancing his way every so often.

Soon, however, that silence was not so… silent.

Minkyun came hurtling down the stairs at record speeds, shrieking and dodging the tiny fists of the red blur behind him. Jaeyoung was watching Hyojin’s assault on the Hufflepuff with amusement from the top of the landing, Yuto by his side, both significantly drier than the pair below them. The youngest seemed to have adapted to the fact that he never knew what was happening, and Changyoon’s heart clenched when he realized he could see a shadow of the real Yuto in the boy’s gleeful expression.

Whatever Hyojin was beating Minkyun for was never established, the younger ducking to hide behind Changyoon with a mirthful glint in his eyes. Changyoon realized belatedly this was the most disheveled he had ever seen the prefect.

"Right, well. What are we doing for food?"

"There's nothing left in the baskets?" Hyojin questioned, looking surprised. He shot Minkyun a glare as he pulled out his wand and charmed the dripping wet robe hanging around his frame dry.

Jaeyoung laughed as he appeared at Hyojin's side. "Probably not, you and Seungjun went to town on everything in them," he smiled, earning him a hard slap in the chest.

"No we didn't!"

"Um, actually, Hyung," Yuto started with a sly smile. Hyojin rolled his eyes and huffed. Changyoon blinked in surprise. Was Yuto coming back to them? Or was he just learning the dynamics of the group so quickly he could imitate them already?

"Hurry up, I'm hungry," Seungjun whined from his spot at the table.

"Just for you, _your highness,"_ Changyoon cooed and Jaeyoung let out a laugh, loud and short.

Seungjun scoffed and said, "I could be very rude right now, but I will choose not to be as there are _children_ in the room with us."

"I'm pretty sure you count as a child, Jun," Jaeyoung chuckled.

"I was talking about Changyoon."

"Enough!" Hyojin nagged. "Minkyun, go get food with Changyoon. Jaeyoung and I will clean up and keep an eye on Seungjun."

"I do not need to be watched!"

Changyoon opened his mouth to taunt at him but Hyojin shot him a particularly intense glare. He rolled his eyes and turned around, tugging Minkyun by the wrist out of the common room.

"Hyung, I don't know how to dry my robes," Minkyun admitted once they were outside.

"God, Minkyun," Changyoon laughed. "You're a mess." He pulled out his wand and shot hot air at him until he looked presentable enough for the Kitchens.

"Let's go."

They hadn't really thought this plan through, clearly, because their combined injuries made for an interesting traipse back to the common room, accompanied by some colorful swearing from Changyoon. Minkyun huffed out a laugh with each new word that left Changyoon's mouth, and soon they were just swearing for the fun of it, giggling like small children as they entered the common room.

Hyojin raised an eyebrow from his place on one of the sofas and Changyoon just snickered harder, letting Jaeyoung take the weight of the new baskets from him.

"Thanks," he breathed, and Jaeyoung nodded dutifully. Yuto was opposite Hyojin watching with bright eyes, and he stood to help set the table before them.

They were about halfway done when he heard something clatter, the sound of a chair scraping loudly against hardwood behind him.

"What the _fuck?"_

Changyoon turned to look at Seungjun in confusion, wondering what had caused his sudden outburst. He glanced at the table beside him, but things seemed to be in order. The Slytherin took a few stiff steps forward, acting a little like he was lost.

"Why am I _here?"_ he snarled. Slowly he came closer to the group, like a predator stalking prey, and as Changyoon met his gaze his stomach turned upside down. Something had changed in his eyes—something was _wrong_ with him. A flip had been switched, or perhaps a reset button. Seungjun regarded him with the same disdain he had held days prior... before all of this.

Oh. Oh _no._

"Why the hell are _they_ here?" He pointed at Hyojin and Jaeyoung, glowering with each step he took. "What did _you_ do." His gaze pierced through Changyoon with so much rage that it made him tremble. "Did you finally drug me?"

"Shut the fuck up," Changyoon grit his teeth, trying to keep his composure. The change back was happening so quickly it made his head spin.

Jaeyoung stood from his spot on the couch taking quick strides to Changyoon's right. "Why is he acting like that? What did he do?"

"What do you mean _acting-"_ Seungjun started, but fell silent as Changyoon pushed past him to get to the table, slamming their shoulders together angrily. "What the fuck?"

Changyoon searched, his hands clumsy as they sorted through vials that all seemed to be the wrong color. He knew, he knew what had happened, but even still he pushed things aside and prayed he was wrong.

He wasn't wrong.

He found it, the empty vial discarded to the side, lost amidst the chaos spread across the table. He didn't know if it was the disappointment, the exhaustion, or this new wave of anger that made him _break._

"You _fucking_ idiot," he said lowly. He turned to Seungjun, holding the small glass between his fingers tightly. "You _always_ have to act _bold,_ doing shit on your own like a _fucking_ loner even though EVERY TIME it makes things worse!" His voice rose with each word, ears buzzing with the intensity of his emotions.

He put himself in front of Seungjun, stabbing his finger repeatedly into his chest. "You have no fucking idea what teamwork is, not even _friendship._ You are fucking _selfish,_ fucking _stubborn,_ fucking-"

Seungjun pushed him away, hard. Changyoon stumbled backwards in shock.

"Don't fucking touch me! Who the hell do you think you are to lecture me like that? I don't fucking care what you think about me!"

He took several steps towards Changyoon suddenly, until they were nearly nose to nose. "How _dare_ you, Lee Changyoon," he spat. "I'm leaving."

With that, he strode towards the door with tight furious steps. Hyojin startled and rushed to stop in front of him, the look in his eyes intense and fearful.

"No! Please, Seungjun, stay."

"What are you doing?" There was a warning in his voice as he narrowed his eyes.

"Let him go, Hyojin," Changyoon growled.

The room was silent before Seungjun reacted.

"What is this?" He rounded on Hyojin. "What the fuck are you doing with him?"

"What?" Changyoon bit, his blood boiling again. "What are you even implying here?"

"Implying?" Seungjun laughed harshly. "I'm just curious as to why someone as brilliant as Hyojin would be talking to an asshole like _you."_

Changyoon snorted.

"An asshole like me? Lee Seungjun... Besides Hyojin and Jaeyoung, everyone hates you. You think all the problems you cause are fun for anyone else? It's a joke, only to you. If Hyojin can't be friends with me, why would he be allowed to breathe the same air as _you?"_

"That's what you believe."

"So what?" Changyoon hissed, "Is Hyojin your property? What would you even do if we were friends?"

"Stop it!" Hyojin interrupted them, and Changyoon knew he had struck something deep. Seungjun's eyes had widened slightly, and they snapped to Hyojin quickly like he was afraid of what would happen next.

"Changyoon, you're only making things worse."

"Do you think I care?" he snorted, putting both of his hands into his pajama pockets. "Do you even know what he did?"

The silence invited him to continue.

"He drank it. What was left from the party. What Yuto had."

Hyojin gasped, his hand flying to cover his mouth. "Did he take the antidote?"

"I bet he did."

"He did," Jaeyoung confirmed gravely as he stood at the table, a second empty vial in hand.

Hyojin gripped Seungjun's wrist, preventing him from leaving.

"This isn't normal!"

"What's not normal, him failing?" Changyoon said cruelly. "I'm starting to get pretty accustomed to that, though."

"You don't understand! He doesn't just _fail_ in Potions! Especially when he's as concentrated as he was!"

"So what?! What are we supposed to do? I've had enough of this. I've had enough of- of seeing people get injured. I've had enough of _him!_ I don't even fucking care if he gets expelled anymore!"

"You're lying," Hyojin murmured, and Changyoon didn't move at all, eyes resting evenly on his fellow classmate.

"Then you have to listen to him. Do you know what he told me? If he failed, we had to go to the professors. Tell them _everything._ Put an end to... this," he concluded with a tired gesture.

Seungjun shook his head, clearly still not understanding what was happening. He yanked his arm from Hyojin's grasp and stepped forward. "You're fucking insane-"

 _"You!"_ Changyoon interrupted, pointing at him with his finger, "You shut the fuck up, now. If you say anything else about this, about _me,_ I swear to fucking god that I will _hurt you."_

The blond snorted and rolled his eyes, and Changyoon didn't even give him the time to retort before his wand was out of its pocket and pointing at him. He executed a neat _Depulso_ that threw Seungjun hard against the wall behind him. He heard someone cry out in shock, maybe it was Minkyun, but the rage that overtook him once again made him point his wand directly at Hyojin's chest.

"Let him go," he threatened, daring the other to move.

Hyojin nodded slowly. He put his hands up, even as Changyoon's began to tremble.

There was a shuffling on the floor as Seungjun tried to take his own wand out, grunting in pain. Changyoon cast a quick _Expelliarmus,_ sending it flying into his hand as he caught it perfectly. In five steps he towered over Seungjun's crumpled form, toeing at his side with his shoe.

Already he was starting to regret his rash actions, but as Seungjun looked up at him with that _expression,_ Changyoon grit his teeth and made his final resolution.

"Leave! _Now!"_

꧁꧂ 

The situation had become dramatic so quickly that Jaeyoung's mind had a hard time catching up to what was happening in front of him. What he understood though was that Hyojin was hesitating. Not making a move to defend his friend, meanwhile Minkyun had stayed silent by Changyoon's side, not making any move to stop him. It left Jaeyoung to act rationally, and he already knew what he had to do.

He went to Changyoon first, forcing him to lower his wand before going to Seungjun and helping him stand up. The elder grunted with the effort.

"You go with Yuto to the bedroom," he ordered, "We have some things to talk about here."

"What?! But-"

"Lee Seungjun. _Trust me."_

And Jaeyoung hoped that he did, because it was one of the rare moments he wasn't able to read Seungjun's expression. He pulled the other to Yuto, who had witnessed everything with frightened eyes, and carefully took his hand with a gentle smile.

"Can you accompany Seungjun-hyung to Changyoon-hyung's and Minkyun's room? It's important, you'll have to watch over him. Can I trust you?"

Yuto nodded silently and Jaeyoung ran a hand through the Ravenclaw's hair fondly.

"Thanks, buddy."

The mood was still electric after the pair had left the common room. Changyoon had cried at some point during the argument, and he really looked like a mess. Hyojin was clearly lost, standing awkwardly as if he was refusing to process what had happened.

Changyoon was the first to tear apart the silence.

"I don't care, I'm just gonna find someone and end this," he declared as he passed Hyojin in the direction of the door.

"Don't!" Jaeyoung barked, growing more and more annoyed with the turn of events. "You can't just give up like that after everything we've done! Let us at least have a chance to understand why Seungjun is like that despite the antidote."

"Why can't you understand that he failed again?" Changyoon snapped, facing Jaeyoung.

"Don't be stupid, you know something's weird."

"He's right."

Jaeyoung eyed Minkyun in surprise, curious to hear why the Hufflepuff had suddenly sided with him.

"Changyoon-hyung is right. We have to stop this."

Jaeyoung's curiosity melted into bitterness.

"Park Minkyun. You don't move from this room, hear me?"

Minkyun glanced at him, frowning, apparently confused as to why Jaeyoung of all people was suddenly ordering him around.

"My wish. Do you remember that?" Surprise crossed his face, and Jaeyoung knew he remembered. "Here it is: make Changyoon stay in this room. At all costs."

He couldn't tell if the sudden hatred in his feline eyes were for himself or for Jaeyoung. But it was certain that he was torn between his friendship and his promise.

"What is this?" Changyoon demanded.

Minkyun slowly turned to his best friend guiltily, and Jaeyoung watched with rapt fascination as something happened silently between them.

"Please," Minkyun finally let out, "Let's try one last time. I promise it will be the last."

"What are you saying?" Changyoon frowned.

"I..." Minkyun glanced at Jaeyoung, asking for help with his eyes.

"What is this?" Changyoon looked at Jaeyoung, "What did you do?"

Jaeyoung didn't react. After all, it had been Minkyun's idea in the first place, and if there was something going on, it was between Minkyun and Changyoon, not him. Even if he was the one who had chosen to use the bet against Minkyun.

"You listen to him because he asks? What if he had asked you to kill me?!" Changyoon accused, glaring at Minkyun.

"Hyung!" Minkyun complained, "It's not that, it's just-"

The fact that Minkyun was unable to explain why he had to listen to Jaeyoung was clearly irritating Changyoon. The older Hufflepuff snorted and turned his back to them, walking to the door.

"Try to stop me, then."

Minkyun looked at Jaeyoung with so much fear, so much despair that he found he was left with no other option but to do it himself. It had been unfair to ask Minkyun to stop Changyoon, but he had truly thought it would have stopped the other; he hadn't expected to be met with resistance to the point of not listening to Minkyun.

"Hyung," Jaeyoung called, "Hyung, if you do this, do you understand what it will mean for Minkyun? Or will you be smart enough to find a clever excuse for his _secret?"_

Changyoon stopped abruptly. He turned around slowly, eying every person still standing in the room.

"He knows?"

"They all know," Minkyun sighed.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" Changyoon snapped.

"It's not my fault, I-"

"It's never your fault! Can't you be more careful?! You're still not registered, if a professor finds out you are _fucked!"_

Changyoon's gaze fell heavily onto Hyojin, and the red-haired boy looked back at him with a neutral, almost _indifferent_ face.

"I'm not gonna tell anyone. What? Because I'm a prefect, suddenly I become a threat?"

Changyoon narrowed his eyes.

The Gryffindor sighed. "I thought we were becoming friends."

The sentence and its implication fell heavily on them. How every time they made one step forward, they ended up taking three backwards. Jaeyoung would have liked to believe that the memories that came from the few forward steps they had made were more important, that those memories would be the ones remaining, but now he wasn't so sure.

"I'm going to check on Seungjun," Hyojin concluded, turning and leaving them behind.

Jaeyoung had no other options left, and he couldn't indefinitely try to stop Changyoon from reaching his goal. It was unfair that he would make the decision alone, despite every excuse he had found. But Jaeyoung also knew it would be easy to skip the details of their story and make only Seungjun responsible for everything, as long as no one forced him to drink a Truth Serum. Easy. So easy to end it all after all the effort they had put into fixing things themselves.

Jaeyoung's eyes couldn't leave the Hufflepuff. Changyoon hadn't moved since Hyojin had left, and he felt like both he and Minkyun were waiting for his decision to breathe again. So when Changyoon turned his head towards them, Jaeyoung didn't know what to expect.

"Just one last time, right?" Changyoon whispered, letting hope spark in Jaeyoung's heart again.

꧁꧂ 

Yuto had no idea what went wrong. What happened. What shifted.

How he had become alone again.

He didn’t even know if he was dreaming or not; if it was his sick mind hallucinating his worst fears or if this was real.

It was cold. He couldn’t move. It felt _too_ real. His hands started to tremble when Seungjun threatened to leave. The _voices_ started to whisper when Changyoon was screaming. It was the pain that had made him lose the already weak focus he had been holding on to for dear life.

This was different from the usual pain; the one that tried to pull him outside this world. It was a headache, but _distant._ Weird, not very agonizing compared to what he had gone through before, but enough to make him grit his teeth, to make his vision blurry. Dreamy. The different voices mixed in his mind, and without his eyes to help him, he was terrorised by the fact that he was now unable to tell which voice was whose. He had the voices, he knew the names, but the link was cut.

The River had severed it.

But he couldn’t just let it happen, so he tried to fight, even if it meant making the pain louder, echoing throughout his entire body but his heart.

He had forgotten why he was even fighting in the first place. He just knew he had to fight, that it was his duty, and that the whispers were wrong and cruel and weren’t really his thoughts—it couldn’t be, since he was fighting it.

But why would he fight something that was a part of him?

Yuto was pulled back to reality with warmth enveloping his hand, making him dizzy from the speed at how everything suddenly changed and became quiet.

It hadn’t been a dream.  


"Can you accompany Seungjun-hyung to Changyoon-hyung's and Minkyun's room? It's important, you'll have to watch over him. Can I trust you?”  


Jaeyoung.

Yuto sensed something important was happening, he could see it in the no-choice question the older boy had asked him. Despite his premonitions, his will to refuse, he immediately nodded, regretting his decision as he made it. Jaeyoung smiled, and messed up his hair with the same movement he always did to conclude his talk with him.

"Thanks, buddy."

He should have felt great helping a friend, even more so knowing that he didn't want to do what was asked of him. It was true proof of his feelings towards Jaeyoung, that he was ready to help regardless of what it was, of what he felt. But that wasn't the case. Not because he was being excluded from the current situation as a child would be—he wasn't stupid enough to assume he was eligible enough to participate in such an important conversation. And he liked Seungjun, he had no reason to be sad about being sent away with the boy, he was someone Yuto had always been comfortable with. So there was nothing to explain what he was currently feeling. Why the thought of leaving this room was making him feel sick in a way he had never been in the past few days, his body expressing it with cold sweat.

He did leave, walking more easily than he had thought he could. But he did not like it. Not at all.

Back in Changyoon's bedroom, he chose to sit on his bed and carefully wrapped his arms around his legs, trying to battle the coldness that enveloped him.

It should have left. It should have left when the warmth came, it should have left.

It didn't.

Something was wrong. And he started to feel scared, extremely scared about it. Screw his courage, he should have refused and stayed in the common room by all means necessary. But now that he was stuck here, he had no escape. He had to be ready to fight again, had to be ready for _whatever_ was coming, because it was stronger, and Yuto was weak.

Seungjun sat down heavily next to him. He had acted strangely so far, but Yuto hadn't taken the time to worry about it. It was only when he spotted the trembling hands that he understood.

The River had spread.

And they were all alone. This could only go wrong, for both of them. So Yuto moved, getting closer to his friend, and carefully took his hand in his, interlacing their fingers. It wasn't warm. He was the exact same temperature as Yuto. But it made Seungjun react, and his lost expression made Yuto's heart ache in sympathy. He knew all too well what it meant.

"Why aren't there any windows in this stupid room," Seungjun whispered with a weak voice, an attempt at a smile forming on his face. Yuto could only admire him. Seungjun was strong enough to still joke, to still try and make Yuto feel better when he was almost certainly the one feeling worse between the two of them.

"I could go out. That would piss them off."

"I would come with you," Yuto added, and Seungjun's smile grew slightly larger.

"I don't know if my broom would support you, too. What do you think?"

"Don't I have a broom?"

"Do you?"

They looked at each other and giggled, and Yuto understood how absurd their situation was.

It felt good, somehow, to have someone to talk to without thinking about it.

Seungjun's face suddenly became dark, something passing in his eyes that made him lose his smile. Yuto didn't know if he understood the dangers that were waiting in the shadows of the room, getting closer with each second.

"Something happened to me, right?" the blond asked, squeezing Yuto's hand.

"You don't remember what happened?"

Seungjun slowly shook his head, eyes lost in the void. "I thought it was Changyoon. But he accused me, and I don't understand."

Yuto tried hard not to pity his friend, because he was in the same situation.

"I trust you," he said simply, hoping that it was what the other wanted to hear.

It did make him smile, just before Yuto lost him. His hand lost its grip, but Yuto didn't let it go, instead settling himself a bit closer to the other. He was suddenly aware of the stares and the voices that he had first mistaken for the usual sizzling he would hear when he was tired. And the River swept closer.

Hyojin entered the room right as Yuto was about to drift, and despite their lacking friendship, he was glad that someone was there to protect them. The elder smiled at Yuto, who greeted him in return, but he could already tell that he had only come for Seungjun. His focus was already on the blond, and he kneeled down in front of him as Yuto let go of Seungjun's hand to give them a bit more privacy.

Hyojin grasped both of Seungjun's hands in his, and now that he was closer Yuto was able to see the worry painted all over his face.

"How do you feel?" His voice was a near whisper, and it made Yuto uncomfortable. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to witness this scene.

"I don't know..." Seungjun mumbled. He sounded far away.

The blond's hand slowly came to card through his best friend's hair, earning a confused look from the boy on the floor.

"Your hair is red," Seungjun said with a weak smile, "It suits you."

Hyojin opened his mouth, but for a moment no words escaped.

"You're the one who did it..." he finally explained, the break in his voice hurting Yuto.

Seungjun looked as sorry as he did confused, and Hyojin lowered his head, his forehead touching Seungjun's ankles.

Yuto wondered what was happening for a few seconds until he understood.

Hyojin was crying.

Yuto found it alarming at first, before he remembered that Hyojin was also human. He carefully climbed out of the bed, kneeling on the floor as he went to stroke the eldest's back, trying to ease him. He didn't know if it was something he should do, if the other even wanted it, but he couldn't just sit there watching him fall apart without at least trying.

"Why are you- Why did you change so much, why did you start to be _like that,_ why-"

Yuto didn't hear Hyojin's last words, his sentence was interrupted by wet sobs and hiccups. He wasn't sure if he understood what was going on, but he knew it was something important enough for Seungjun to take Hyojin's face in his hands, making sure his friend would look at him for his answer.

"You... It's always you..."

Yuto blushed and stumbled to get up, suddenly aware that he was most definitely intruding. His gaze left Seungjun the moment their eyes met and he took a step back, having no idea and no will to learn what the blond's look had meant. Quickly, he escaped the room to go back to the common room, feeling relieved to be where he wanted to be.

"Yuto?" the tall boy he didn't know asked, smiling at him. He couldn't help but feel uncomfortable.

Changyoon, Jaeyoung, and the boy were meeting around the table Seungjun had been working at earlier. Yuto immediately went to Changyoon's side.

"Did something happen?" the older asked as he put his arm around Yuto's shoulder. "Your cheeks are red."

Yuto shook his head to answer and Changyoon smirked. "Something did happen."

"No!" he denied instantly. "But what are you doing, Hyung?"

"Trying to change the topic, hmm?" Changyoon teased.

"Stop annoying him," Jaeyoung said with a smile. "We are trying to find a way to heal you and Seungjun-hyung."

Yuto hummed, watching them as they talked about things he didn't understand. He rested his head against Changyoon's side, hoping that it wasn't too distracting for the other. It felt weird, in a way. He had no idea what being 'healed' would feel like, his current world being the only thing he could remember. He knew that he should be happy to know that his memory would be restored, but he was scared that it was also a way to _erase_ him. Making the 'real' Yuto come back by making this version of himself disappear... But it was the only thing he had left. The incomplete part of him was _him._

As he sat next to Changyoon, a realization came to him. The River would take him anyway.

꧁꧂ 

Changyoon was unable to quell the dull anger that had ignited in his chest. He wasn’t sure who he was more angry with: himself, for letting his guard up so quickly, or with Seungjun, who seemed to betray even his best friend’s trust with no hesitation.

_“I thought we were becoming friends.”_

Hyojin’s words echoed in his mind as he grit his teeth and tried to ignore his burning frustration. Changyoon had never been good with his emotions; his anxieties took control over his thoughts easily and his happiness was always too much. But the rage he kept trying to feel was dying out, cooling off into utter disappointment.

 _What the fuck, Changyoon,_ he told himself angrily as he watched Hyojin disappear up the stairs.

 _You’ve hated each other for_ two years, _why are you surprised at all?_

Fuck. _No._

Had it really come to this? He had given in to the others’ pleading, so why did he feel so _hollow?_ Frustrated tears slid down his cheeks as he stood in the middle of the common room, watching the empty staircase. Regret stung at him like he had made a mistake. All he could do was remember.

Seungjun catching a Snitch and gloating triumphantly. Seungjun being scolded harshly for his pranks on the Hufflepuff dormitory. Seungjun standing just inside the entrance to the common room. Seungjun offering him a gift. Seungjun crying after his best friend had hit him. Seungjun relaxing in the Forest when Changyoon had appeared. Seungjun petting the Thestrals. Seungjun, about to be trampled by a beast ten times his size. Seungjun by his side, stroking his back as he coughed up too much blood. Seungjun’s concentrated face as he worked on the antidote. Seungjun’s hatred as he looked right at Changyoon, having forgotten _everything._

 _“Are you okay?”_ that stupid high-pitched voice had asked in the Forest.

They had gotten so fucking far.

“Hyung,” Minkyun murmured. _“Changyoon.”_

He reached over and pried Changyoon’s hands apart, taking one into his lap as he guided him to a sofa and sat down next to him.

“Fuck,” Changyoon whispered and instantly Minkyun moulded to him. Changyoon found his face in the crook of the younger’s neck and there he stayed as he let silent, furious sobs wrack his body. Minkyun hummed soft comfort into his ears, but remained still and steady just like Changyoon needed.

When he finally had the courage to open his eyes again, he saw Jaeyoung watching with concern. Weak irritation flared up inside of him—he hated being pitied—but he didn’t have the energy to snap at him.

Jaeyoung offered a small smile and Changyoon couldn’t find it in him to be annoyed any longer.

“Hyojin-hyung is right,” the Slytherin said softly. “We need to figure out what went wrong.”

Changyoon was _tired._ Tired of potions, tired of fighting, tired of little mistakes and terrible accidents.

He sighed and nodded, pulling himself from Minkyun’s side and standing up.

“You’re better at Potions than I am,” he mumbled as he made his way to the table.

Jaeyoung chuckled as he settled into Seungjun’s chair. “Maybe. Let’s double check his ingredients and process first, it looks like he made multiples.”

Changyoon watched with fascination as the other navigated through Seungjun’s work easily. It was truly like he had a map Changyoon couldn’t see. He seemed to understand the other Slytherin’s thought process, how things were sorted and which batches were failures or needed tweaking.

“These are all done,” Jaeyoung pointed to a set of three little glasses sitting in front of the cauldron. “But… don’t they look a little off?”

“You think _I_ know?” Changyoon grumbled.

“These ones don’t have Lethe water,” the other mused to himself. “Okay. Those-” he was pointing to several vials directly in front of Changyoon, “-are the potions he remade. These are antidotes, some with ingredients missing, or different quantities-” he tapped one that was a little darker than the others with a _clink,_ “-so one of these has to be the other half of what he took.”

“I don’t think so,” Changyoon argued. “The vial I found was empty.”

“You found the leftovers, though. The antidote I found has a second half. Seungjun always divides his potions in two.”

“He does?” Minkyun asked, joining them at the table.

“Well, usually. It’s so he can keep going if he messes something up and gets a result he doesn’t like. Saves time.”

 _Smart,_ Changyoon thought begrudgingly. “Why didn’t he do that at the party then?”

“I mean, he did kind of, since there were leftovers.” Jaeyoung looked up at him. “But he was making something he already knew, not experimenting. That part was an accident.”

Changyoon huffed. “I _know.”_

Jaeyoung laughed at him again and started fiddling with the cauldron, following Seungjun’s notes as he made his own attempt at the antidote. The Slytherin became absorbed in his work, remaining quiet as Changyoon and Minkyun began to talk quietly with each other.

Yuto appeared in the common room several minutes later, probably not being able to take the intensity of Seungjun and Hyojin. Changyoon poked fun at him, to which he responded as if he had been himself, and his heart stung with longing.

With Yuto’s presence, Minkyun became more reserved, keeping to himself as he watched Changyoon’s discussion with Jaeyoung. Pain flickered across his face whenever he looked at Yuto for too long, and it broke Changyoon’s heart into hundreds of pieces.

“Hyung,” Yuto whispered, looking back at Minkyun. “Why does he keep looking at me like that?”

“Ah… he misses… someone.”

“Oh,” Yuto said, frowning. “Are they okay?”

“They… they will be soon, hopefully. Do you want to talk to him?”

Changyoon knew Minkyun could hear them, his ability to do so had sharpened after he had turned into an Animagus. He held his breath, hoping Yuto would agree. He couldn’t take his best friend’s grief much longer.

“Will that make him feel better..?”

Changyoon laughed pulling the boy into a clumsy side hug. “It would. Do you remember anything about Quidditch?”

“Quidditch?”

“Go ask him about it,” he pushed. “I’m sure you’ll like it.”

Minkyun met Changyoon’s gaze with an expression of gratitude. Changyoon nodded, smiling softly. Yuto stood nervously, joining Minkyun at the other side of the table, and the other greeted him warmly.

“Hyung,” Jaeyoung said, drawing his attention back to the potions in front of them. “Something _is_ wrong. Look.”

He held up two identical vials.

“Am I supposed to see something..?”

Jaeyoung sighed. “This is Seungjun’s antidote-” he lifted the vial in his left hand, “-and this is mine.” He lifted the other. “They’re the same.”

Changyoon couldn’t understand. “But… why is that a problem?”

“Because it means one of the ingredients is wrong.”

Wrong?

“So he drank-”

“-an antidote that doesn’t work. Yes.”

“Shit.”

“Yeah. Shit.” The pair of them stared at the table in dismay, uncertain of what to do next.

“How do we know which one?” Changyoon asked softly.

“I don’t know. It would take too long to make all the potions with one ingredient altered in each.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes as Jaeyoung experimented halfheartedly.

“God,” Changyoon huffed. “I can’t believe I’m going to have to apologize for throwing him against a wall.”

Jaeyoung laughed and it startled him. “Yeah, well. We’ve all wanted to do it at some point,” the Slytherin chuckled.

Changyoon giggled at the remark and shared a look with the other. “Should we eat? Maybe that’ll help us think better.”

Jaeyoung nodded, and together they stood up and made their way back to the couches. Minkyun and Yuto joined them happily. Halfway through their meal, however, the Slytherin gasped and scrambled to his feet, launching himself back towards the table.

“What?!” Changyoon shouted after him,

 _“The translations,”_ Jaeyoung breathed, and suddenly Changyoon understood.

He and Hyojin had spent _hours_ flipping through the books Jaeyoung and Minkyun had brought back from the library. It was tedious work, and thinking about doing it again made him want to cry. But thinking back, that was the easiest place to make a mistake. His eyes burned with exhaustion as he got up to join Jaeyoung at the table.

“So… What do we do?”

Jaeyoung sorted through the several pieces of parchment they had written the recipes out onto. “We only need the antidote.”

“Right.”

Carefully, they began their search, reviewing every word once, twice, again. It wasn’t until the very last word on the page that Jaeyoung sat up with relief glowing in his eyes.

“I found it.”


End file.
